This document chronicles the ongoing production of the computer-animated short film Tower 37. It begins with a close examination of the film itself, emphasizing the visual storytelling components that were the core of my MFA work (particularly character performance, camera, and editing). This is followed by a thorough discussion of the mechanism of producing the film: a sequence of experimental courses I have created and taught at Hampshire College over the past two years. The document then discusses my approach to the craft of directing before concluding with evaluative comments and a look ahead.

In this thesis, I take the reader through the process and particular challenges of directing The House of Bernarda Alba, from choosing a translation, to casting from a pool of mostly undergraduate actors, to staging a show in-the-round. More particularly, I compare my previous work with adaptation to this process of treating the script as a fixed entity. I also offer a detailed explanation of the exploratory work I did with the actors in building the physicality of the play-world and exploring the relationships of the characters. For this, I drew heavily on Anne Bogart’s composition exercises, found in The Viewpoints Book. In this thesis, I transcribe and analyze some of the material generated through these exercises. Finally, I endeavor to prove that a certain freedom can be found through structure, and that the challenge of this production - which was assigned to me rather than a personal choice - helped me develop a more subtle creative voice than I had previously possessed.

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Despite the generally held view that the best way for a stage actor to give a strong theatrical performance is through a traditional training model, I hoped to develop a way for inexperienced actors to perform beyond expectation within the context of one production through a system of mentorship, expectation-setting, and tapping into young peoples' natural desire to identify with people and characters. I directed a production of Stop Kiss by Diana Son with a blend of experienced and inexperienced actors to see if I could make this work, with mixed results. This thesis is a reflection on the process of directing Stop Kiss that was filled with multiple discoveries and challenges.

THE ATTIC DOOR is the feature-length film co-written and directed by Danny Daneau while pursuing a Master of Fine Arts at the University of Central Florida. Many challenges had to be met to produce a feature-length motion picture utilizing digital technology on an ultra-low budget as part of a graduate education. Beyond gaining a profound understanding of the physical, financial, and emotional strength it takes to complete a feature-length motion picture, Daneau experienced the creative challenges that all filmmakers must meet when applying the principles of filmmaking theory to an actual work of self-expression. The production process for an original narrative film under the guidelines established by the university has pushed him to make a motion picture that is both a highly personal work of film art and evidence of the educational journey he has taken for the past three years.

This written portion of my thesis documents my process as a director in staging Taylor Mac’s play The Lily’s Revenge in collaboration with a creative team of designers, dramaturgs, and performers. I share with the reader my processes toward fostering cohesion and collaboration among a team while working on a complex play that departs from many theatrical conventions. I discuss significant learnings from several areas of dramaturgical and performance research that dovetail within the play: queer performance practice, Theater of the Ridiculous, and Noh theater, and how I used this research to support the communication with my design collaborators to design a show crossing several theatrical genres. I invite readers into the challenges and discoveries of a rehearsal process that required heightened performances from actors and creative solutions for sustaining audience engagement. This thesis includes dramaturgical research, documentation of the rehearsal process, and documentation of audience and performer experiences.

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The present thesis is a reflection on the production process that lead to the Temple Theaters 2010 production of Saying Grace; a new adaptation by Robert Smythe of the play Divine Words by Ramón María del Valle Inclán. On it you can find all the inspiration elements as well as the basic concepts that originated the production and an evaluation of the creative process. / Theater

RENT: A Director's Process describes the process a director undergoes in the creation of a piece of theater. It uses as its example Temple Theaters' 2010 production of RENT, and it examines how an MFA thesis production encapsulates the material garnered over three years' intensive study in a conservatory setting of the art and craft of directing. It explores the methodologies behind the pre-production process, including concept, approach, design, and casting, and continues into the production process, including rehearsal and performance. This thesis suggests a method of directing that is based on a formal approach, and shows this method to be as applicable to populist styles, such as musical theater, as it is to more experimental forms. / Theater