Black and White

Date
2011
Authors
O'Neill, Sheri Ann
Supervisor
Johnson, Stephanie
Item type
Exegesis
Degree name
Master of Creative Writing
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Auckland University of Technology
Abstract

Into White is a playscript for theatre incorporating projected film/video performance, both pre-recorded and live, as an integral part of the narrative. The playscript, with an approximate performance time of 80 minutes, is written to second draft and contextualised by an exegesis: Black and White.

The playscript explores the conflicts generated within the crucible of the personal relationship of two fictional, 21st century New Zealand artists – a man and a woman, a painter and a poet – with the drama sparking from the dynamics between their individual expression, experience and understanding of their creative lives. Questions regarding the place of art and the artist in contemporary society are generated from the central, personal drama.

The exegesis centres on the theme of a gendered creative process as it is reflected by the synthesis of binary choices made in the creation/construction of the playscript. These include: the male and female protagonists and their parallel stories; the intermedial text (live performance and recorded performance); the use of both prose and verse; the presentation of a linear plot by means of a non-linear narrative; and the visual metaphors incorporated into the set and staging. The exegesis describes and discusses these thematic, genre and stylistic choices in relation to the writer's experiences and processes in conceiving and writing the playscript, situates the work in its relevant social, historical and theoretical context, and discusses the possibilities for its production and performance.

Description
Keywords
Playscript , Drama , Theatre , Video projection , Intermedial Text , Verse , Art and Artists , Gendered creative process
Source
DOI
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