Presenter: Ariella Wolfe
Mentors: Michael Najjar, Theatre Arts; Mark Carey, Honors College
Oral Presentation
Major: Theatre Arts
The contemporary theatre director has the opportunity to encourage socially critical thought during the production process and in theatergoing audiences. This study seeks to demonstrate how the Western genre, which has mythicized the way of life on the United States frontier during westward expansion, can be used as a framework to understand the prevalence of gun violence in the contemporary United States. Moreover, the project endeavors to explore the theatre as a forum to address this issue. My methodology incorporates an application of my synthesis of Bertolt Brecht’s dialectical theatre to my direction of Afterlife, a Western genre play by Nicholas J. Maurer. The play suggests parallels between the issues of gun violence in the Western genre and present concerns regarding gun violence in our contemporary society. Following each performance I conducted post-show discussions with audience members to qualitatively assess how they critically engage with the cultural norms of gun use and gun violence.
This study presents an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on theatre directing theory, performance studies, history and sociology. The central argument of this thesis is that a socially conscious approach to theatre directing—taking into account the cultural, economic and social forces shaping the characters’ actions—will encourage audiences to engage cultural questions and recognize their ability to transform society. This research hopes to contribute to ongoing investigations that articulate the significance of theatre as a tool for social critique and social change.