Journey to the mountain: directing Kneehigh's 'The bacchae'

This thesis documents my artistic journey through directing Kneehigh Theatre’s adaptation of The Bacchae as a mainstage production for the University of Iowa Department of Theatre. It documents the thesis process from the original pitch, contextualizing adaptation, pre-production analysis of the play, playwright and characters, designer collaborations, rehearsal process, and then a post-production final reflection on the journey. The process was guided by a desire for a journey of personal discovery both as an artist and as an individual, driven by the questions the play asks about what happens when we do not allow people to define their place in the world for themselves and reject their complex identities.