Title
DOI
10.17077/etd.w6cpom1w
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Degree
Spring 2015
Degree Name
MFA (Master of Fine Arts)
Degree In
Theatre Arts
First Advisor
Borreca, Art
First Committee Member
Clubb, Dare
Second Committee Member
Schlesinger, Lisa
Public Abstract
Adapted from the conspiracies and events surrounding Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which presumably disappeared over the Southern Indian Ocean, this play examines the emotional, mythological, and political ramifications of loss. By exploring the bottom of the ocean, the characters gather clues and memories in order to find their loved ones, only to discover that there is no complete return to life after a disaster. The only solace is the memory of those loved ones tethering those who must go on living.
The play is, in a sense, a drama of saudade. It is a Portuguese word roughly defined as the feeling of losing something or someone one loves, has lost, and can never return. The play is not only a tragic love story; it is also an attempt to translate this word for American audiences through theatre.
Keywords
publicabstract, Below, Pacific
Pages
vi, 61 pages
Copyright
Copyright 2015 Ryan Oliveira
Recommended Citation
Oliveira, Ryan Wallace. "Below the Pacific." MFA (Master of Fine Arts) thesis, University of Iowa, 2015.
https://doi.org/10.17077/etd.w6cpom1w