Essays on Puppet Master

Pinocchio the Shepherd is a monodrama written by Abdel Momen Ahmed. The play represents a monologue of a puppet master who prepares for the visit of the local ruler. The man speaks with his dolls, the audience and has a “dialogue” with the Sultan in the final scene. The monodrama starts with the conversation between the puppet master and his doll. The man complains about the “behavior” of his main actress and calls her grievances unfounded. “There are people in this country who have lived a life less fortunate than a doll” (“Elegy for the Fifth String” 24). The ...

Introduction

Cyberpunk is a form of science fiction that emerged in the latter half of the 20th Century. This genre of science fiction involves the envisioning of a near future that is characterized by scientific advancement in the form of cybernetics an information technology. This advancement is however coupled with societal order breakdown where chaos and anarchy reigns. Many of the cyberpunk narratives revolve around conflicts between technological experts like hackers or even conflicts between technological mega-corporations. A lot of cyberpunk plots are set in dystopian societies marked by massive cultural rot as well as the use of advanced technology to propel ...

Introduction

One century after Henrik Ibsen wrote Hedda Gabler, the play still remains to provoke deeply repressed emotions we, as human beings, tend to disregard; emotions of fantasy, terror and distress. Hedda Gabler, a very disturbed woman, remains a very perplexing, mysterious character. As the director, I will explore several ideals in terms of how the character of Hedda should be seen, how she should be taken on, embodied and brought to life. For instance, is Hedda an ardent protagonist battling social boundaries? Or is she the child-like, sixteen year old, mean girl? Could she be considered a rogue anti-hero, or is she a ...