Year of Graduation
2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
MFA: Playwriting
Directing Professor
Megan Gogerty
Abstract
Frieda: This one-act play revolves around a young woman wandering through a near-lifeless forest she wants to escape. As she speculates directly to the audience about what brought her to this place, she reveals herself to be the stepmother to a pair of challenging children. The expectations of what she imagined her life to be and what she was saddled with collide as she recounts her story. Taking place in the woods in which she lost her way, details of her childhood, loveless marriage, and the desperate hunger that drove her to make the most important decision of her life become clear. Ultimately wrestling with questions of what it means to be a "chosen family," she attempts to set the record straight.
Open House: In this one-act play, Olivia and Danny, a couple of late twenty-early thirty somethings, are at odds picturing themselves living in a semi-affordable two-story home. It could also be the escape that Lisa, very much a young twenty something, is looking for. Her father, Louis, disagrees to say the least. He worries about his daughter's preparedness moving into her first home. That is, until the realtor, Carrie, turns out to be his ex-girlfriend. Professional as she is, she attempts to balance unresolved tension with her ex and chase after the dollar signs between these two opposing pairs. The comedy explores themes of parent-child relationships, generational wealth, [and class.] Taking place within the house in question, a little damaged property and decades repressed squabble eventually bring the play and open house to a close.
Recommended Citation
Parker, ArLynn, "Frieda and Open House" (2024). Playwriting (MFA) Theses, Hollins University. 15.
https://digitalcommons.hollins.edu/playwritingtheses/15
Contact Information
aparker015@gmail.com
Purpose Statement
The purpose of the MFA in Playwriting thesis is to provide a definitive record of student progress upon completion of the degree. This text will not reflect any revisions to the play made after degree completion. For the most current version of the play, or for licensing information, please contact the author and/or the Hollins Playwriting Department.