Date of Award

12-1-1985

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Theatre Arts

Abstract

The purpose of this creative thesis is to provide a permanent record and evaluation of the staged reading of "Remnants" held in conjunction with the Charlotte Danstrom Conference at the University of North Dakota in March, 1984. "Remnants" by Judith Gilhousen is an original two-act play about four women attempting to seek fulfillment in their lives through making dolls.

The theme of the conference was "Creativity: Living and Learning." The director focused on the theme of creativity as expressed in the play "Remnants." The director also consulted with the playwright and incorporated suggestions and ideas from the playwright into the staged reading.

The methodology of this creative thesis involved research, analysis and a production of a staged reading. Chapter one of the thesis discusses the purpose of a staged reading and includes a description of the Charlotte Danstrom Conference. The second chapter describes the interactions between the director and playwright. The third chapter presents an analysis of the script in terms of plot, theme, characters and dialogue. Chapter four is devoted to the director's concept and rehearsal process, and the final chapter is a discussion of the postperformance evaluations.

Post-performance evaluations by participants in the Charlotte Danstrom Conference indicated that the theme was strongly defined and clearly present. The staged reading of "Remnants" was considered an important contribution to the conference program and the participants' understanding of themselves and their own level of creative enhancement.

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