Date of Award

Spring 8-1-2003

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Communication

First Advisor

David W. Worley

Second Advisor

D. Gene England

Third Advisor

Lew Hackleman

Abstract

Georg BUchner is considered by many to be the father of 20th century drama, despite his death in 1837 at the young age of 23. His legacy is visible in any contemporary survey of the history of theater. The origins of the styles and techniques of Naturalism, Expressionism, Theater of the Absurd, Existential Drama, Theater of Alienation, Theater of Cruelty, Socialist theatre, and documentary drama may all be feasibly traced to BUchner's own innovative themes and playwriting techniques. His final manuscript Woyzeck remained incomplete at his death, leaving what would become a dramaturgical puzzle for the theater scholars of each following era to solve and debate. Each new theater culture or movement produces acting texts and stage productions out of its interpretation of the W oyzeck manuscript. This research surveys the critical literature and historical contexts of these adaptations and stage productions in order to create a new postmodem adaptation of W oyzeck. Transcendental and hermeneutic methods were used for the applied methodology of qualitative phenomenological inquiry. Thorough descriptions of its application are included, along with the persistent audit trail of the adaptation process, which includes a reflexive research journal and the resulting livedexperience creation. Epistemological ramifications of the study are discussed in relation to Woyzeck' s themes and the methodology of the research, and the foundation for a phenomenological playwriting method is established.

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