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ORCID

N/A

Access Type

Open Access Thesis

Document Type

thesis

Degree Program

Theater

Degree Type

Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)

Year Degree Awarded

2017

Month Degree Awarded

May

Abstract

This written portion of my thesis is aimed at documenting and synthesizing how I, as director, staged an adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler through ongoing collaboration with a creative team comprised of dramaturges, designers, and actors.

I walk the reader through my exploration of Ibsen’s life and work through travel to the International Ibsen Festival in Oslo, Norway, and describe how I endeavored to lead the production’s creative team by applying feminist theories in directing and embracing the possibility of failure as a means of discovery. I discuss the casting process and establishment of an all-women ensemble, explore the major themes I identified in the play, and reflect on how the creative team strove to subvert the societal expectation of a historical production rooted in realism through designs and artistic choices inspired by the western canon’s ongoing grasp on contemporary theater programming.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7275/10258625

First Advisor

Gilbert McCauley

Second Advisor

Megan Lewis

Third Advisor

Priscilla Page

Fourth Advisor

Harley Erdman

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