Keywords

Vietnam Theatre, docudrama, Still Life, Emily Mann

Abstract

Emily Mann's play Still Life is a story of a Vietnam War veteran who returns home to a less than enthusiastic welcome. Like most veterans from this war, he struggles to come to terms with the atrocities he witnessed and even carried out himself. The play consists of three characters: Mark, a Vietnam veteran, Cheryl, his wife, and Nadine, his lover. Both women believe they intrinsically understand Mark, but neither truly can. Mark has returned from the war violent, irrevocably broken, and feeling that he has been abandoned by society. Emily Mann interviewed real people and transcribed their words into theatre of fact to provide a fresh outlook into a tumultuous period of American history. This thesis will explore the historical and artistic significance of Emily Mann's Still Life and its depiction of the political and cultural atmosphere of post-war America. Specifically, I will discuss the reception of the Vietnam soldiers and how they were affected by the war socially, psychologically and economically. I will explore interviews detailing what these young men experienced while at war, how it affected them then and now, and discuss how these issues are reflected in Emily Mann's Still Life. In addition to interviews, my methodology will consist of scriptural analysis and quantitative research.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2008

Advisor

Boyd, Belinda

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

Theatre

Degree Program

Theatre

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0002004

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0002004

Language

English

Release Date

June 2008

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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