Playwriting Commons^™

Disney And Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins: The Broadway Musical

Taylor Theatre Playbills

The playbill for Taylor University’s performance of Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Marry Poppins: The Broadway Musical.

Performed April 27-29 and May 4-6, 2018 at the Mitchell Theatre.

Young Jane and Michael have sent many a nanny packing before Mary Poppins arrives on their doorstep. Using a combination of magic and common sense, she must teach the family members how to value each other again. Mary Poppins takes the children on many magical and memorable adventures, but Jane and Michael aren't the only ones upon whom she has a profound effect. Even grown-ups can learn a lesson or two from the …

I Am Here Now: A Play – And – Polyvocality, The Unhomely, And The Methods Of Mike Leigh In Playwriting: An Exegesis, Michael Mccall

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The aim of the research was to investigate how the devising methods of theatre and film director Mike Leigh might generate material for a new play text and what the implications were in regards to authorship. Central to the research was an exploration of the collaborative devising processes of Leigh as a point of origin and how this might lead to an intended and deliberate case for a plurality of voices in a written play text. It was conducted with a focus on utilising many voices. In this instance the ‘voices’ were young participants from Perth’s African Australian community. The …

Unknown Still, Katherine Berzinski, Haley Allaben, Zach Schiller

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

No abstract provided.

Three Damn Letters, Katherine Ammon

Honors Program Theses

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a terminal disease that destroys a patient's motor neurons. In the play Three Damn Letters, a sarcastic woman must accept her own ALS diagnosis while also balancing her relationships with her father, husband, and son. This seriocomedic play explores themes of family roles, disability, love, and death.

Across The Great Divides: An Exploratory Tryptich, Andrew Vaught

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Ephemeral: An Original Play, Kierstan N. Devoe

Student Publications

Interesting conversations are had when an American woman spends a weekend with her Czech penpal and his relatives at his recently deceased mother's cottage. Based on a series of interviews with Czech citizens and personal experiences, Kierstan DeVoe's play focuses on the complex nature of tragedy and nostalgia, complete with moments of warm laughter and great tension.

The Old Sorrow, Emmett J. Schlenz

Honors Thesis

From 1969 to 1998, the conflict known as the Troubles raged in Northern Ireland, killing 3,500 people and devastating Belfast. Many dramatic adaptations tackle the conflict, from Neil Jordan’s Oscar-winning The Crying Game to Fifty Dead Men Walking. These adaptations usually focus on combatants in the conflict, however; none, to my knowledge, full address the experience of Belfast hospital staff, from doctors to nurses to porters. Hospital staff – especially those working at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, which lay at the edge of the Falls Road, an area keenly affected by the conflict – came from all …

The Art Of The Process: The Creation And Production Of Wrinkles In Our Clothing, Julia Alexandra Yancey

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Wrinkles in Our Clothing

One night after a party Andrew realizes that he has never truly lived. Christine finds her passion somewhere she never thought she could have it. These two young adults, making their way through college, realize that now is the time to decide how they will choose to live their lives. They face the challenges that most young adults face such as societal expectations, a parent’s ideal image of their child, and having the courage to take that first step. Although these two do not meet in the lives of their characters they appear to know each …

My Mind Made No Sound: The Downward Spiral Of Scholars In One Act, Jacob Lorrin Buechler

Student Theses and Dissertations

This is a one-act play on the world of academia. Set in a city during an academic conference, inside a bar, the characters are representations of my real life involvement in higher education. Told in a creative nonfiction style, using characters and stories that I have personally faced, this play brings to life the conflicts and tragedies inherent in our higher education process. Through the seven different characters, each with their own arrogance and prejudices, the play reaches into the ethos of what it means to be a scholar, what events lead to our toleration of what education means, and …

"V Is For Violin" - An Original Playscript, Brittany Taylor

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As and MFA playwrighting candidate, I was given the opportunity to witness a fully realized production of my work. For this academic opportunity I chose the "V is for Violin." I will discuss the genesis of the idea, the evolution of the play, research conducted, and what I learned in the production process of the show.

Fingerpaint: A Drama In Two Acts, Audrey A. Moore

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis is a creative original work taking the form on a two-act drama entitled Fingerpaint. It follows the story of a twenty-two year old artist named Sandy and her older brother, John, who want to paint a city mural as a memorial for their uncle. The primary theme revolves around the idea of finding beauty in tension. This theme is developed as Sandy, an idealist, is forced to deal with difficult situations that will ultimately change the way she approaches life and art.

A Den Of Thieves, Robert F. Gelberg

English Honors Projects

A Den of Thieves is a three-act play detailing the final three days of Jesus of Nazareth from the point of view of the two "thieves" with whom he was crucified. However, rather than a retelling of the Gospels, A Den of Thieves approaches the story through a historical lens, presenting a portrait of Jesus as a Jewish revolutionary leading a populist rebellion against Rome for which he was ultimately publicly executed for sedition. The play offers an examination of both faith and the foundations upon which we build faith.

"Mythos": A Play In Two Acts About The Ability To Choose, Jacob F. Filegar

Senior Honors Theses

This paper presents a two-act play in the fantasy genre about the ability to choose, titled “Mythos.” The goal of the play is to persuade audience members to consider that regardless of their past, they still have the ability to choose their future. Although this play is written from a Christian perspective, it does not deal directly with Christianity. “Mythos” centers on Margaret, a young woman who is afraid of making the choices necessary to progress her life. Instead, Margaret is waiting on her “call to adventure,” which, according to Joseph Campbell, was the beginning of most heroes’ adventures in …

Lenore: Poe And Baudelaire At Play, Carolyn Martha Fado

Senior Independent Study Theses

This Senior Independent Study Project is a postmodern play inspired by the work of the nineteenth-century poets Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Baudelaire. The scholar Lenore loses her grasp on reality as she studies the work of these two poets and she becomes lost in an imaginary world. This project is collaborative; music composition major Cara Haxo wrote a song cycle based on parts of the script. The play is preceded by a critical introduction.

The Development And Debut Of Adam Esquenazi Douglas' Play "Murder And The English Gentleman", Adam Esquenazi Douglas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the development process of the creation of a new playscript, "Murder and the English Gentleman", an adaptation of the short story "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime" by Oscar Wilde. The play is a wild, comedy-of-manners presented in classic Wildean 19th century drawing room style. The document details the process of getting this script from short story to script to stage. Also included are some of the play's most significant drafts, the original short story by Wilde, production and rehearsal journals, and production photos. The play was presented by the University of Arkansas' Boar's …

Prodigal, Jonathan R. White

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Following a similar pattern of the classic Biblical story of “The Prodigal Son”, the play allows for a modernization of the characters and setting. Set in 1968, the playwright takes a look at what happened after the “Prodigal Son” returned home as well as the effect the return had upon the Son that stayed as well as the Father. How can family relationships survive in the midst of lies and turmoil of a time of great change in America’s history.

The Development And Production Of Justin Blasdel's Play Your Last Friend, Inc., Justin Morgan Blasdel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis details the process of the creation of the new script, Your Last Friend, Inc., a play about two conmen who realize that selling death isn't nearly as easy as selling life to the hopeless. It follows the many evolutions of the script; from the first version developed in the Graduate Playwriting class all the way to the final production at Boar's Head Players 2010 New Play Showcase at Nadine Baum Studios at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The playwright's choice to add humor to a serious topic is challenged, the characters actions face outside opinions, and …

"Persona Non Grata" A Tragicomic One-Act, Maria K. Genovese

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

No abstract provided.

The Visiting Hours: Four Short Plays (A Work In Progress), Richard Morris

Sabbaticals

The Visiting Hours: Four Short Plays (a work in progress) was written by Richard Morris for his sabbatical leave in Spring 2006. The four plays include Memorial Day, Pay Day, Mother's Day, and The Visiting Hour. This submission was scanned from the original book.

The Carnival King, Ian Kilroy

Books/Book Chapters

A play in two acts. A macabre farce about murder and the search for justice during carnival time.