THE PARADOX WITHIN US: THE ARCHETYPAL STRUGGLE IN "HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE"

by Shaw, Jene Rebbin

This written thesis is a component of the requirements for a creative thesis in directing, the other component being the direction of a production of Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive. This thesis explores analysis and criticism of the play and analyzes the play and its characters and themes using the framework of archetypal psychology. It discusses and reflects on the production and rehearsal process. Responses from audience members are analyzed within the archetypal framework, and used to evaluate effectiveness of directing techniques. The complex, multi-dimensional characters in How I Learned to Drive make it difficult to pass judgment on them. How I Learned to Drive is a play which asks difficult questions, and leaves the audience to come up with the answers.