The Grandest Stage of Them All: Exploring Theatricality and Storytelling Potential of Professional Wrestling

Abstract

This senior project was called "The Following Senior Project is Scheduled For One Fall!". It was an original play, performed as part of a fall festival. It followed two friends, a professional wrestler and an MMA fighter, who reconnect after not seeing each other for a while. They have a conversation about respective careers, and find out that they have a lot more in common than meets the eye. It's a comedy (with a little drama here and there), with themes about how the medium of professional wrestling can be a great performance medium. It's one of those things that often get overlooked by people, but if they take a look within, they can find a lot of deepness and intricacies within. It's supported by research about the history of wrestling, how it was widely respected by the Ancient Greeks and how it evolved into a stadium-packing event. There's also mention of the incredible storylines and the intense effort wrestlers have to go through.