Building layers of communities : a director's approach to Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth.

Thornton Wilder's The Skin of Our Teeth offers a cross section of myths and significant pieces of human history in the context of New Jersey in the 1940s. Wilder uses a "play within a play" approach to present the Antrobus family as they endure monumental natural and man-made disasters. This thesis provides an example of a director's process with this challenging play through an ensemble-oriented and improvisational rehearsal process. This study provides a selective biography of the playwright, containing elements of Wilder's history associated with the themes and relationships in The Skin of Our Teeth as well as a full analysis of the play. The remaining parts of this thesis include the production's conceptual inspiration, a narrative of the rehearsal process, and a reflection of the completed production at Baylor University Theatre including production photos.