WHAT’S IN A NAME? THAT WHICH WE CALL A WHORE, BY ANY OTHER NAME, IS SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE: THE ORIGIN, DEVELOPMENT, AND PRODUCTION OF WIFE/WORKER/WHORE

Author

Kirsten Elana Easton, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

5-1-2016

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts

Department

Theater

First Advisor

Juntunen, Jacob

Abstract

This thesis details the development of my full-length play Wife/Worker/Whore from outlining and pre-writing to full production at Southern Illinois University over the course of the 2015/2016 school year. In writing Wife/Worker/Whore, I was inspired by Norma Jean Almodovar’s From Cop to Call Girl, in which she details her life as a housewife, police officer and eventually high-class call girl in 1970s Los Angeles. Almodovar’s life story served as the impetus for this script, as I sought to complicate the discourses surrounding prostitution in its various forms. This play, therefore, examines the covert ways in which women are forced to prostitute themselves, even when they don’t call themselves a “whore” by profession. Chapter One includes a statement of the project, the origin, and development of the script, initial structure and plot considerations for the script, research that impacted the creation of the script, character development, and tools for self-evaluation. Chapter Two covers the pre-writing process, feedback from my peers from two in-class readings, notes from my advisor, Jacob Juntunen, and the director, Segun Ojewuyi, about the script’s development and an overall description of the play’s progression through drafts one to eight. Chapter Three describes the design meetings held in preparation for the production of Wife/Worker/Whore. Chapter Four details the audition process as well as rehearsals for the piece. Chapter Five evaluates Wife/Worker/Whore’s production, describes ideas for future productions of the piece as well as possible revisions. Chapter Six concludes the thesis by tracking my progression in the playwriting program over the past three years. It includes my writing growth in terms of structure and developing my artistic voice. It also discusses my professional development over the time in the program, as well as the evolution of my teaching practice. I have also included in the thesis the production script of Wife/Worker/Whore, excerpts from previous drafts of the script, and publicity materials.