Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation
5-2019
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
M.F.A.
Department
Theatre Arts
Degree Program
Theatre Arts, MFA
Committee Chair
Kelly, Baron
Committee Co-Chair (if applicable)
Segal, Janna
Committee Member
Segal, Janna
Committee Member
Hall, Ann C.
Abstract
In 2018, I played Hortensio in a production of The Taming of the Shrew that took place among the businessmen in the America of 1963. This thesis centers on the strategies and tactics I employed in the portrayal of Hortensio, a moneyed, middle aged, single man who impersonates a music tutor to seduce the much younger Bianca. In my research I investigated the archetype of the advertising executive of the era. The world views of these men upheld the post-war conception of American exceptionalism, and in their occupations were adept at manipulation free of the fear of consequences. Hortensio is specifically based on advertising pioneer (and nephew of Sigmund Freud) Edward Bernays, whose often morally dubious publicity stunts led to the popularization of smoking among women.
Recommended Citation
Tocantins, Terry, ""Gentlemen with brains" : the use of historical figures in the development of the character of Hortensio in an adaptation of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew." (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3171.
https://doi.org/10.18297/etd/3171
