"The Pact" (formerly known as "Field of Knives") and accompanying critical analysis

Abstract

This thesis consists of two parts: an original play The Pact (formerly known as Field of Knives) and its accompanying critical analysis. The Pact is a Three-Act play, set over a period of three years, that charts the journey of two women: a lawyer and a teenage girl. As the lawyer persuades the girl to be a witness for the defence at her brother’s murder trial, she not only discovers the motives behind the sibling murder but also has to confront her own dark secret. This critical analysis documents and reflects upon the dramaturgical challenges faced by the novice playwright, when creating an original drama for the stage. It examines questions of genre and the structural components of story, plot, and character function, as the play moves through the redrafting process, from initial concept to final submission. It considers how the script has responded to critical feedback and the substantial revision of the ideas that informed the original thesis. It aims to demonstrate how the introduction of significant new material, rigorous research and profound alterations to the scope of the narrative, has enabled the narrative to move from multifarious themes to a more focused and potent whole.