This examination focuses on an investigation of playwright Maria Irene Fornes repertoire, in the context of her style, through producing and directing her 1983 play Mud. Included in this exploration is a critical analysis of Fornes literary work through a sampling of plays within her vast expanse of literature: The Conduct of Life, Sarita, Fefu and Her Friends, and Mud. With a focus on directing Mud as a means to understanding her larger canon of work, I examine Fornes thematic elements, stylistic conventions, and representationsspecifically seen through gender, ethnicity, and class. The influences of Fornes Hispanic ethnicity and gender are manifest in her work and often challenge the gender roles within Hispanic culture. From these complexities stem the dramatic tension and exploration that her writing generates through her characters, settings, and dialogue. Relying on my own experience as a Hispanic female, I engage with her repertoire in a way that identifies the influences of Fornes cultural and genetic background within the narrative structure and theme of her plays. My investigation, experienced primarily through the vehicle of directing Mud, illuminates many aspects of Fornes workripe with nuances, complexities, and symbolisms. With specific attention to gender and ethnic influences on the artistic product, my exploration in directing provides an opportunity to expand the study of this specific playwright in an active context. The first-hand experience gained in understanding, dissecting, and enacting Fornes play, Mud, is the foundation of this thesis project.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PITT/oai:PITTETD:etd-06152010-151659 |
| Date | 15 September 2010 |
| Creators | DeSoto, Rachel |
| Contributors | Dr. W. Stephen Coleman, Dr. Bruce McConachie, Dr. Scott T. Cummings, Holly Thuma |
| Publisher | University of Pittsburgh |
| Source Sets | University of Pittsburgh |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf, application/octet-stream, video/x-msvideo |
| Source | http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-06152010-151659/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Pittsburgh or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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