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'Tis pity she's a whore : a record and analysis of a production

University of British Columbia

'Tis Pity She's a Whore. An Elizabethan revenge tragedy by John Ford, was produced and directed by Kenneth Livingstone, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a Master of Arts degree in the Department of Theatre of the University of British Columbia, at the Frederic Wood Studio Theatre, from March 8-11, 1967. The following is a detailed record of that production along with the director's analysis and interpretation of the script. 'Tis Pity She's a Whore was produced on a budget of $300.00, with a 90 hour rehearsal period and had a five performance run in a theatre seating approximately ninety people. The play was performed by a predominantly student cast in a setting designed by Harry Soloveoff and with original music composed by Leon Dubinsky which was played each night by a small group of musicians employing recorders, guitars, drums, bells and a virginal. This record is divided into three main sections. The first is an essay which starts by discussing the historical background of the play with reference to its position in the genre of Revenge Tragedy. This is followed by a brief biographical note on the author and then a detailed analysis of the play with reference to the significant critical interpretations available and concludes with a discussion of the directorial concept adopted for this production. The director's interpretation is compared to, and contrasted with, the various critical views already mentioned. The essay is followed by a short bibliography which is not intended as a complete academic record of works on Ford, but merely indicates those views which were taken into consideration in the preparation of this production. The second section is made up of the actual script; showing cuts, blocking, significant divisions and indicating light, music and scenery cues. Each scene is preceded by a brief analysis which indicates the major units within the scene and the directorial approach taken in terms of purpose, action, dominant emotions, character dominance, and particular difficulties Involved. The third section is made up of various tables, records, and illustrations relating directly to the production. Included are lists of light cues, music cues, set changes, properties, costumes, cost lists, and box office reports. Also included are transcripts of the music composed for the production, a sample of the program, and copies of the press reviews. The illustrations include colour photographs of the production, and finally, blueprints of the floor plan and working drawings.

Text

2011-08-06

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/36581

Theatre

University of British Columbia

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