THE ART OF PIVOTING: THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS FOR THE FULL-LENGTH PLAYS, "DRAPETOMANIA" AND "THE GREAT LOVE OF SIABANDA SESAY"

Author

• Mary Joella Kamara, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

5-1-2026

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts

Department

Theater

First Advisor

Juntunen, Jacob

Abstract

This thesis details the developmental process for the full-length play, Drapetomania, which was scheduled to be produced by the SIUC School of Theater and Dance in April 2026. Drapetomania is about Tour Guide, a Craniolink microchip created by Adolphus Corporation, who is tasked with implanting Ellison Diallo-Lewis, a rebel leader, in order to make her into the perfect slave. However, due to casting conflicts, Drapetomania was unable to be produced. As a result, the full-length play, The Great Love of Siabanda Sesay, was produced by the SIUC School of Theater and Dance in April 2026 instead. The Great Love of Siabanda Sesay takes place during the first ten years of the AIDS epidemic in the United States. It’s about Siabanda Sesay and Guillermo Aguilar – who have been best friends since NICU – taking their first steps into adulthood, stumbling in and out of each other’s lives while they learn to balance what haunts them from familial love (or lack thereof), what they hope to cultivate in romantic love, and each other.This thesis begins with Chapter 1 by discussing the origins and pre-writing research process for both Drapetomania and The Great Love of Siabanda Sesay. Chapter 2 details the writing of the first draft for both scripts and the editing process which for Drapetomania took place during Summer and Fall 2025, and for The Great Love of Siabanda Sesay took place during Summer and Fall 2024, and Spring 2025. Chapter 3 contains the pre-production process of The Great Love of Siabanda Sesay. Finally, Chapter 4 concludes with a reflection on my time in the program and the trajectory from first-year play to second-year play to third-year play.