Uncommon Women And Others And The Story Told Without Words

Abstract

This project is a documentation of the scenic design process for the Salem State University production of Uncommon Women and Others by Wendy Wasserstein. The production ran between February 14th and February 24th, 2019 in the Callan Studio Theater at Salem State University and was directed by Brianne Beatrice, with assistance from Allyson Kinch. The director’s concept was to force focus on the dialogue within the play by creating a sense of realism and comfort in the environment. This would emphasize the realistic nature of the strong female characters as they attempt to plan their lifelong goals upon their graduation from Mount Holyoke. As the play takes place in the late 1970s as well as the flash-forwards in the early 1980s, the females of the time feel obligated to break their gender norms and become the “uncommon women” who excel in both their education and career choices. The audience watches intimately as they not only attempt to figure out their goals, but as they begin to figure out themselves as empowered individuals. This thesis project will demonstrate step-by-step how I achieved an effective design for this production, as well as exhibit the impact that the scenic environment of a production has on the overall experience of both the audience and the performers.