| Few books and dissertations have been written on the theatre of Orson Welles (1915-1985). In particular, almost nothing has been published, except in passing, on anything after Welles's Mercury Repertory Theatre efforts (1937-1941). To be understood, however, Welles's theatre work requires an essential reconstruction of his entire theatrical career. The dissertation The Theatre of Orson Welles, 1946-1960 is concerned with Welles's later work as a theatre director, between 1946 and 1960. In the 14 years from 1946 to 1960, Welles directed Around the World (1946), a musical based on Jules Verne's classic Around the World in Eighty Days; four productions based on Shakespeare plays: Macbeth (1947), Othello (1951), King Lear (1956), and Falstaff/Chimes at Midnight (1960); two productions based on his own extremely liberal adaptations of well-known classics, The Blessed and the Damned (1950), based on Marlowe's Dr. Faustus, and Moby Dick Rehearsed (1955), based on Herman Melville's novel; and one contemporary play, Rhinoceros (1960).;The dissertation is an attempt to document and analyze all eight productions based on primary sources such as interviews with Welles's collaborators, Welles's production notes and scripts, as well as correspondence, production reviews, photographs, and set and costume designs. The goal of the dissertation is to point out that Welles's theatre work continued after the Mercury Repertory Theatre period. Its purpose is also to clarify many misconceptions that exist in connection with Welles's later stage work. His theatre career after the Mercury years is important to an accurate understanding of the shape of his overall career. When Welles is known more fully and seen more clearly, one very important aspect of his total career will be recognized: from start to finish, Welles was a man of the theatre.;The dissertation is about 800 pages long and it is divided into sixteenth chapters. It contains 150 illustrations, an appendix which includes credits for all eight productions and extensive bibliography. |
