Copyright by Elizabeth A. M. Keel May 2018 SCIENCE FICTION ONSTAGE _______________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the School of Theatre and Dance Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts University of Houston _______________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Theatre Studies _______________ by Elizabeth A. M. Keel May 2018 SCIENCE FICTION ONSTAGE ________________________ Elizabeth A. M. Keel APPROVED: ________________________ Robert B. Shimko, Ph.D. Committee Chair ________________________ Theresa Rebeck, Ph.D. ________________________ Anthony Timmins, Ph.D. ________________________ Andrew Davis, Ph.D. Dean, Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts SCIENCE FICTION ONSTAGE _______________ An Abstract of a Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the School of Theatre and Dance Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts University of Houston _______________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Theatre Studies _______________ by Elizabeth A. M. Keel May 2018 Abstract This thesis examines the growing relationship between science fiction and the stage. Contemporary playwrights must overcome the expectations created by computer- generated imagery inherited through the lenses of film and television. Therefore, playwrights have collectively been required to innovate with creative storytelling and stagecraft to achieve futuristic scenarios onstage. In this study, I compare the evolving relationship between humans and their technology as explored in Jennifer Haley’s The Nether, Jordan Harrison’s Marjorie Prime, and Mickle Maher’s Song About Himself. I will also investigate the adaptation of science fiction to the stage, as Edward Einhorn attempted with his 2010 adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? for Untitled Theatre Company #61 in New York. Lastly, I will consider the development of my own science fiction script, Corona, which reimagines the Greek myth of Ariadne and the Minotaur aboard a spaceship. v Acknowledgements Thank you to Drs. Rob Shimko, Theresa Rebeck, and Anthony Timmins for guiding me through this process. I am so honored to have learned from your talents, friendship, and scholarship. My gratitude is also extended to Chelsea Taylor, Brien Bianchi, Sophia Watt, and Justin Lucero for their support and mentorship. I hereby formally dub Alison Christy as the godmother of this thesis. I also must acknowledge the entire Kimbro family, from Rob and Rachel, who always kept me flying, to their shiny children, Eleanor and Thomas. I owe other debts to my Keel, Cote, Bennett & Dauchez families. (I promise to visit more now.) Thank you to the University of Houston libraries and School of Theatre and Dance, particularly the playwriting cohort and my former professors: Jim Johnson, Sara Becker, and Rachel Bush. I am grateful to Rob Askins for teaching me to be rowdy, Chana Porter for reminding me to, you know, breathe, and to the brilliant Amy Guerin for pointing me in the direction of The Honeycomb Trilogy. Thank you to Antonio Lasanta for loaning me his five-disc Blu-ray of Blade Runner for months at a time, to Lindsey Ball for trusting me with her collection of Battlestar Galactica, and to Lindsay Ehrhardt for her timely unicorn correspondence. I so appreciate Scott Magelssen for suggesting I take a look at A Theory of Adaptation, and Ryan Shabach for being entrenched in the Force and having the patience to be my writing partner. I would be lost without the Houston theatre community telling me all their stories, or without all of the contributors listed in the bibliography, particularly Ralph Willingham and his incredible appendix of science fiction plays. vi As for Edward Einhorn, Mickle Maher, Jennifer Haley, Leslie Swackhamer, Tiffany Keane Schaefer, Bella Poynton, Christos Callos, Jr., Kevin Rigdon, Danielle Ozymandias, and Darian Silvers: you are all extremely big deals. Thank you for taking the time to speak to me about this project. I hope to forever honor the memories of Angela Stephanie Montante, my student, friend, and a warm and witty science fiction playwright, and Zachary Doss, my fellow director and a champion of inclusion. You were both taken too soon. Most of all, I dedicate this thesis to my husband and collaborator, Greg Cote. He has stood by me, radiating nothing but love and pride as I transitioned through the phases of robot, alien, human-tear-puddle, and bull-creature in order to get this done. It is high time for that honeymoon. vii Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................v Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ vi List of Figures .................................................................................................................... ix Introduction: Science Fiction Onstage .................................................................................1 Chapter One: The Uneasy Alliance ...................................................................................20 Chapter Two: Adapting Androids ......................................................................................47 Chapter Three: Considering Corona ..................................................................................93 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................111 Appendix – Corona Script ...............................................................................................112 Appendix – Ariadne .........................................................................................................171 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................172 viii List of Figures 1. Blade Runner – Production Still 1 .........................................................................65 2. Blade Runner – Production Still 2 .........................................................................68 3. Blade Runner – Production Still 3 .........................................................................69 4. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Untitled Theatre Co. #61 – Still 1 ..........83 5. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Untitled Theatre Co. #61 – Still 2 ..........84 6. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Untitled Theatre Co. #61 – Still 3 ..........85 7. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Untitled Theatre Co. #61 – Still 4 ..........86 8. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Sacred Fools – Still 1 .............................88 9. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Sacred Fools – Still 2 .............................89 10. Ariadne .................................................................................................................170 ix Anything you dream is fiction, and anything you accomplish is science. The whole history of mankind is nothing but science fiction. –Ray Bradbury The theatre itself is much less high-minded than those who keep a watchful eye on its purity; the stage has always cheerfully swiped whatever good stories were going. – Philip Pullman Introduction: Science Fiction Onstage The genre of science fiction is a tool that allows humans to work ahead in their imaginations in preparation of potential futures. Likewise, the theatre serves to stimulate all manners of supposition and mimetic problem-solving. Both avenues seek to question their participants and generate a thoughtful scrutiny of ethics, hypotheses, and dreams. They assess scenarios that challenge us, as well as spur us onward. I believe the blending of these two artistic fields is the desirable and inevitable result of progress in storytelling. The purpose of this thesis is to encourage the theatre community to make space. Staged science fiction has previously been dismissed as clumsy, campy, and niche. The pervading assumption is that it will never be as viable in the live, dramatic medium as when it is presented through the lengthy privacy of the novel, or embodied by the mutability of the screen. However, I argue that this is an outmoded stereotype which can be retired. The aim of this study is to recognize existing science fiction proponents and their innovations. By acknowledging the recent solutions of playmakers in their pursuit of staging this genre, I hope to inspire other practitioners to attempt their own productions. This proposal is not meant to provide a singular, overarching prescription. (Science fiction is by its very nature too multifaceted to stand for that.) Rather, through the elevation of several successful approaches and endeavors, I hope to spark a dilation. My goals are to address what has been growing in the field through the analysis of both original and adaptive case studies of theatrical science fiction. I hope to highlight 1 the creativity of artists dedicated to a serious treatment of the genre, as well as to refute the most repeated objections which they face. The project will conclude with my own efforts as a playwright to develop a science fiction script, Corona. My objectives there are twofold: to honor the components of its predecessors in the industry, as well as to contribute a viable new candidate for production to the field. Ultimately, I am seeking increased critical support for the genre, the stimulation of its presence in education, and a more inclusive conversation