Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


DiLorenzoTaraMarie2003 kbc.pdf (1.13 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

The Search for Connection in Seven Plays by Naomi Iizuka

DiLorenzo, Tara Marie
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1395850766

Abstract Details

2003, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Theatre.
This study examines the seven major published plays by playwright Naomi Iizuka: 36 Views (American Theatre, 2002), Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls (Smith and Kraus, 1999), Language of Angels (TheatreForum, 2000), Polaroid Stories (Smith and Kraus, 1997), Skin (TheatreForum, 1998), Tattoo Girl (Sun and Moon Press, 1998), and War of the Worlds (Smith and Kraus, 2000). Discussion focuses on the ways in which this body of work brings to the forefront the issues and challenges faced by the group of Americans known as Generation X. These Americans, born between the years of 1965 and 1978, exhibit patterns of behavior, attitude, and thought that unify them. The key factor for members of Generation X is the inability to make meaningful, personal connections with one another and with people from other age groups. Iizuka’s plays not only include Generation X characters and situations, but also explore the origins of those situations and what sustains them. The study examines all of Iizuka’s published works together, dividing them thematically into three groups: those that rework a classic work with a contemporary setting for a contemporary audience (Skin and War of the Worlds), those that examine an individual in relation to a small group (Tattoo Girl, Language of Angels, and 36 Views), and those that examine a group of young people as a whole (Aloha, Say the Pretty Girls and Polaroid Stories). Iizuka’s characters encounter the same sort of problems, in all situations, pointing to the fact that Generation X attitudes and behaviors are the result of some inescapable societal force. Although Iizuka does not seek solutions to her characters’ problems, she provides a means of identification for thousands of Americans, and legitimizes their real-life experiences. Because of this, Iizuka emerges as a major theatrical voice for Generation X.
Joy H. Reily (Advisor)
Maureen Ryan Murphy (Committee Member)
104 p.
Theater

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • DiLorenzo, T. M. (2003). The Search for Connection in Seven Plays by Naomi Iizuka [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1395850766

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • DiLorenzo, Tara. The Search for Connection in Seven Plays by Naomi Iizuka. 2003. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1395850766.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • DiLorenzo, Tara. "The Search for Connection in Seven Plays by Naomi Iizuka." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2003. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1395850766

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1395850766
189
© 2003, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.