How might experimenting with a design process for Tennessee Williams The Night of The Iguana, lead to a deeper understanding of the playwright's theatrical process?

Abstract

The objective of this study is to discover how experimenting with a design process for the Tennessee Williams play The Night of The Iguana, has lead to a deeper understanding of the playwright's theatre process. This dissertation will explore how each set design task undertaken; understanding my emotional response to The Night of the Iguana, creating scenic breakdown charts for the play and carrying out historical as well as visual research, lead to the gaining of a greater understanding of Williams' theatre process. To inspire his work Williams often used his own "emotional experiences", utilizing the characters in his plays to embody these. When structuring his plays, he used symbolism, expressionism and often the same recurring themes of redemption, compassion and good versus evil. He also created what is known as the "Plastic theatre": a theatre composed of design, music, choreography and lighting. Further understanding of Williams' theatre process ultimately lead to the creation of a model box. The research carried out was mainly practice based as it involved creating a set design for The Night of the Iguana, which was then implemented in to a model box in a scale of 1:25. The theoretical research carried out focused on an in depth exploration of Williams' life, on both, a personal and professional level. By the end of this process inspiration for a set design was achieved and a model box was created for the play The Night of The Iguana, facilitating a deeper understanding of Tennessee Williams' theatre process.