AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF RORY LEAHY, for the Master of Fine Arts degree in THEATER, presented on *MARCH 28, 2017, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: JOURNEY TOWARDS ADEQUACY: THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS OF TORAK THE INADEQUATE MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Jacob Juntunen This thesis documents the development of my play Torak The Inadequate from its earliest conception to its full production performed by the SIUC Department of Theater in its Christian H. Moe Laboratory space in March of 2017. The play is a synthesis of pulp fantasy, social commentary, and comedy that tells the story of a young hunter-gatherer living in ancient times named Torak, who with his unlikely companions Ragnor and Belit, must journey across the prehistoric world to find a new home. Chapter One explores the play’s beginnings, influences from other stories and genre elements and rough outline. Chapter Two concerns the writing and revision processes themselves. Chapter Three deals with the pre-production of the SIUC rendition of the show. Chapter Four details the production, from auditions to performance. Chapter Five is an artistic autobiography in which I put Torak in the larget context of my work both before my MFA program and after. The production script of Torak as well as production photos will serve as appendices.