Directing Wendy Wasserstein's Uncommon women and others

The purpose of this abstract is to provide the reader with an analysis of the techniques employed in directing a CSUN production of Uncommon Women and Others. The play opened in the Studio Theatre on October 17, 1980, running for a total of eight performances. The first section, “The Play,’ contains information bearing on an overview of the thesis project. In addition, this section briefly explains the thrust or message of the play. The second section, “The Research Procedure,” outlines the various areas of research engaged in by the cast and myself during the rehearsal process. The third section, “The Uses of Improvisation,” serves as a detailed examination of the use of improvisation as a rehearsal technique. Examples are provided explaining how the improvisational technique contributed solutions to problems encountered during rehearsals. A final section, “Evalutation of My Experience,” includes personal observations of the show in performance and of the entire experience.