Identifier

etd-03292013-112915

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

Theatre

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

The assigned task was to create and perform a 20-40 minute long one-person play, with no other guidelines or restrictions offered. Having never performed in or written a full one-person play, my challenge was two-fold: create a cohesive and coherent script, and craft the production and performance of that script. From several inspirational sources, I was spurred on to explore the dynamics of revolutionaries, fanatics, and vigilantes through the lens of presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth. Through the combination of Booth’s infamy and the modern day realities of fame-seeking, political divisiveness, and tragically pervasive “spectacle killing” events, I was ultimately able to craft the story that became the one-person play SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS. My research led me to amass a great deal of material to draw from, and it soon became clear from the initial script that expanding the piece and its theatrical elements would be required. Through both script revisions and the addition of sound and visuals, I was able to ultimately create and perform a piece that successfully integrated extravagant technical elements and presented several different voices within the same character embodied by my performance with the use of physical and vocal choices. The audience was responsive to the material, and the resulting video recording and production photography stand as a testament to the project’s implementation. It is my intention to use all of the resulting feedback as a means of further evaluation and expansion of the piece and its subject material.

Date

2013

Document Availability at the Time of Submission

Release the entire work immediately for access worldwide.

Committee Chair

Judy, George E

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.2029

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