Strategies of a Storyteller: How Theatre Eradicates Silence

For centuries, theatre artists have been exploring what the purpose of theatre is and the most effective ways theatre reaches this purpose. I think we\u27ve all at one point wrestled with the question, or will wrestle with the question: does theatre exist solely to provide an artistic, aesthetic, and therefore cathartic experience or should it be provocative, abrasive, and shocking in order to inspire change within our society? Most people, myself included, believe theatre is most effective when it provides an arena for emotional catharsis as well as a forum in which to facilitate social change; truly influential and powerful theatre needs to somehow combine the two pursuits.... As the culmination of my capstone and a final execution of my research, I wanted to create my own show and see if I could, like these playwrights all strived to do, strike an effective balance between emotional engagement and disconnect