A director’s approach to Rinne Groff’s The Ruby sunrise.

Rinne Groff’s The Ruby Sunrise tells the story of a poor, self-educated girl who creates the first electric television set in 1927. Her accomplishment goes unnoticed, but twenty-five years later her daughter stops at nothing to bring her mother’s story to life during TV’s Golden Age. Groff’s play examines the mechanics of storytelling, of the ways in which truth can be compromised and histories revised. This thesis provides a textual analysis of The Ruby Sunrise, followed by a detailed description of David Reed’s directorial approach to the work. Chapter One gives a brief biography of the playwright, examines her dramatic cannon, and traces the play’s production history while Chapter Two offers a theoretical and analytical approach to the production. Chapter Three and Chapter Four outline the practical journey of the collaborative process, and Chapter Five concludes with the director’s critical evaluation of the production.