A Production of “The Typists”
by Murray Schisgal:
design and direction

Abby Fleischman
December 6, 1999

Thesis advisor: Professor Susan Spector
Department of Fine and Performing Arts

Excerpt from the thesis:

After reading “The Typists” by Murray Schisgal, I knew that this was the play for me. I chose it for a couple of reasons. The first is that I wanted to take on the challenge of the time changes which happen throughout the play. I knew that it would be difficult to convey those changes in a subtle manner, but I wanted the challenge. Another reason that I chose this play is that I thought that it would be an interesting choice for a Baruch audience. Baruch business students would appreciate a script about two people in mundane jobs, doing the same things every day for forty years. In the past, this is what people in the business world went through. They would get a job so that they could pay the bills and they would stay at the job until they retired, possibly forty years later. They did not necessarily enjoy their jobs. But this play does show the warmth that two people found in each other's company at work, in some ways making up for their less than ideal home lives. A third reason that I chose this play was that I genuinely loved it. In my opinion this should be one of the main reasons for making your selection. If you don't love a play, are you really going to want to work on it every day for four to six weeks? Are you going to put all of your effort into each rehearsal? If you are not, then it is not worth choosing that play. There are so many plays in the world, that the director can find one that he/she is willing to make this commitment to.

The process of directing and designing “The Typists” was such an eye opening experience for me. Even though I had taken classes and done independent studies in play production, scene design, scene painting and stage management, it was much more difficult than I would have ever imagined. One aspect that I also found difficult was that, as a designer, I did not have a director to discuss my design with. I constantly asked the stage manager and the actors for their opinions and I always conferred with my faculty advisor on all of the important decisions. Overall, this entire process was an incredible educational experience and hopefully an enjoyable piece of theatre for the audiences.

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