DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/PEZV-AH50
Defense Date
2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Department
Theatre
First Advisor
Dr. Keith Kirk
Abstract
Abstract
SHE: PERFORMING BIOGRAPHY AS DRAMATIC NARRATIVE
By Ashley Love, Master of Fine Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University
Partial Fulfillment Statement:
Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Pedagogy at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Director: Dr. Aaron Anderson
Interim Director of Graduate Studies, Theatre Department
Amid the current wave of feminism, women continue to strive for equal ground within societal constructs. Progress is being made in the workplace, the arts, and media presence, but why does it seem that women’s stories of the past continue to be overlooked as if insignificant? This thesis examines these overlooked stories of the past, specifically the 1920s-2000s, through the lens of a one act play. This play focuses on one’s woman’s journey (my grandmother’s journey) through physical, spiritual, and societal struggles of this era, which gives voice to other women who lived through similar experiences. I examine method and means to create a performance by using documents such as letters, notes, sketches, journals, and library logs. By using this documentation, audiences can understand a woman’s experience with family tragedy, her liberation of place during the war, her strength dealing with a disease like poliomyelitis, and her fight for enduring hope and joy in the process of life.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-7-2022