Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

Fall 12-4-2025

Faculty Advisor(s)

Dr. Jocelyn L. Buckner

Abstract

Contemporary theatrical adaptation involves deconstructing, reimagining, and rewriting historical plays for modern audiences. Adaptation appropriates theatrical conventions, changes the lens through which the audience may view the play, and offers new entry points into thinking and practice. Adaptation asks, “why this source as theatre now?” and proposes that history provides tools for engagement with contemporary issues. By employing a Practice as Research methodology, which positions creative processes such as script development, rehearsal, or play development as research methods, I investigated the art of historical adaptation. I adapted No Exit, a 1945 existentialist play by Jean-Paul Sartre, into a new play called LAST EXIT. I developed my script through collaborative workshops, staged a formal reading of the final draft, and gathered praxis-based knowledge, including audience feedback and artists’ interpretations of the text, throughout the process. My project explores the following question: how can historical plays help modern audiences respond constructively to current conflicts?

Written during the occupation of Paris in World War II, No Exit was a subversive display of anti-fascist resistance; a statement of hope despite the terrifying circumstances in which the characters find themselves. My adaptation, set in the present-day United States, examines the corruption of democracy, political polarization, and the performance of identity during crisis. As changes reshape the nation’s political, social, and cultural landscape, our collective “ending” feels increasingly uncertain. Yet, Sartre’s message resonates: if you are unhappy with your situation you have only one thing to do…take action. Contemporary adaptations, motivated by the belief that creative production and cultural participation can fortify the best parts of our humanity, allow us to build compassionate, people-centered communities.

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Presented at the Fall 2025 Student Scholar Symposium at Chapman University.

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