Masters Thesis (take one) by Debbie Bagnato

A most enjoyable class tonight as always with Dr. Zamora and my wonderful classmates! Finally, after many failed attempts, succeeded in creating a new blog--blogger did not approve of any of my url suggestions--until the very last one,,,grrrr. But now I am ready, or at least ready to blog. This will be the easier part of the process ahead, I'm afraid, but I have some terrific company to share my miseries and my victories--oh I hope there are some victories--as we move along. My potential storyline is written down, based loosely on Aristophanes original but applied/ adapted--made to fit-- with the characters representative of my production concept. The next test or rather the real proof of its ability to be recreated onstage (as an adaptation of something very dynamic) will be the deciding factor for  keeping this carefully thought out "thesis proposal." If it falls flat and I can see no chance of it ever being what I had intended, it is off to a different creative project that I am more comfortable with. The writing shall begin and I hope the creative ideas are a-plenty; I need to run with this a little and then see if it is what I envisioned.  I truly hope it is, as I have spent some hefty amounts of time already, re-writing Aristophanes to fit a version more appropriate to a setting very far removed from ancient Greece and with  no bearing on a war with Persia, Sparta or anywhere. Instead, I will create a war in my workplace--a supermarket--that involves business, money, prestige, and the ever popular, coveted prize--power. Of course, all of those elements were attributes of the men who decided on involvement in the Pelopponesian War and kept it going until Athens (and its elegant citizens) became a mere shell of their former self, subject to takeover and destruction. Sadly enough, I see elements of corrupt, misguided individuals in the business where I work, becoming ever so much more pronounced. On that note, what began as a fun re-creation of one of my favorite ancient comedies has taken on more serious connotations. Hopefully, I can retain the comic element while I make a point--very strongly--about the unimportance of the competition within and the greater value of "family business" being a true "partner in caring" and actually being of real service to the community--all of the bylines this company falsely projects which used to be essential to them. Perhaps through humor, this old play, with a new slant, can make people recognize the real importance in life, in business and actually appreciate what is important at the end of the day. I don't know if I can tie it all in but I would love to give it a try! And do not worry, I will keep you posted for better or worse. If the laughs are not in the script, they may be AT the writing, but then hopefully, we can laugh together! But please, do be gentle...