With the dissertation submitted, there was a collective sigh of relief, and we all felt a bit more relaxed. Now, I could shift my focus entirely to my graduation project without the weight of the dissertation looming over me. This week, we had a class presentation, and I also updated Andreas about our timelines and schedules for the project.
Throughout my project, I've maintained contact with theater students from Lasalle, seeking to understand their craft and processes. However, it was the first time I had the opportunity to discuss my project in detail with one of them. I met with Rohan from BA 3 Acting, where I explained the objectives and nature of my project. I admit I was a bit apprehensive that he might take offense to my intention to remove performers from the performance, deviating from traditional theater practices. However, Rohan was incredibly supportive and encouraging of my project. He suggested that my project could be categorised under various performance arts and even deemed it worthy of being a theater dissertation in itself. It was amusing to see his serious reaction whenever I mentioned the name "Macbeth," as theater folks tend to take their superstitions seriously.
On a more serious note, I asked Rohan if there were any aspects I should reconsider or include, which I might have overlooked. He mentioned that while the idea of omitting performers was intriguing, it might be beneficial to incorporate a "narrator" or "joker" to provide context about the play.
Reflecting on the past few weeks, particularly with the completion of my dissertation, it feels a bit surreal to think that it's finally done. This was something I had been working on for an entire year, and I'm incredibly grateful for the learning experience it provided. Having never written anything of this magnitude before, I'm pleased with what I've accomplished.
Looking back, if you were to ask me if there's something I would do differently in my dissertation, then yes, perhaps there are a few tweaks I could make. For instance, including theater design as a research pillar and being more analytical about the mention of speculative design and design fiction. However, there's always room for improvement, and I see this as an ongoing process. Maybe one day, I'll feel confident enough to publish it. But for now, I'm content with what I've written, and I'm glad I chose this topic.
I also want to take a moment to express my gratitude to my friends. I truly believe I wouldn't have been able to finish my dissertation without their support. I'm incredibly thankful to have had the opportunity to work alongside them, and their unconditional help and encouragement.