Department or Program

Theater and Dance

Abstract

The Greek god Dionysus, aka Diane, has returned or as claimed in her opening monologue – she never really left. However, this time her return is in the form of a permaculture expert who has been living in a lesbian commune outside of Burlington, Vermont. Her ultimate purpose is to initiate the instant healing of our planet by recruiting four women to join her cult from this perfect cul-de-sac located in Monmouth County, New Jersey. Although her plan sounds very simple and straightforward, chaos ensues when Diane is pressed for time by a hurricane that is approaching the east coast. In Hurricane Diane, Madeleine George has put the ubiquitous environmental crisis that Earth is facing at the very forefront of this play prompting the audience to question the systems of human oppression that have enabled it. The focus of this project is to understand how theater is practiced to impact social change and what theater has to offer when used to address social issues such as the environmental crisis. This thesis offers a reflection and analysis of my directing process which focuses on the importance of collaboration in a rehearsal setting and the disruption of traditional theater hierarchy and power structures in the rehearsal process. The two main pillars of this thesis include the exploration of theater in relation to inspiring social change and the practice of Ecotheater as proposed by Una Chaudhuri.

Level of Access

Open Access

First Advisor

Dugan, Tim

Date of Graduation

5-2023

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Number of Pages

101

Components of Thesis

1 PDF file.

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