UC San Diego

ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS

Permission

by

Katherine Ko

Master of Fine Arts in Theatre and Dance (Acting)

University of California, San Diego, 2017

Professor Marc Alexander Barricelli, Chair

Permission. A word gifted to me at a very young age. And for a long time I have been wearing this word around my neck, figuratively, like a scarlet letter, but with a question mark at the end. Permission? Permission to speak, permission to move, permission to act?

Coming into this program, I was still wearing this word. In classes, with my classmates, and on stage. And in this high stress environment, this word manifested into something I could not control. The word began to multiply and I, willingly, offered this word out like business cards to everyone and left nothing for myself. This sounds like a tragic story, but I promise there is a happy ending.

There were several moments in my time here that helped me take ownership of the word. But one that comes to my mind, so clearly, is 2nd year fall quarter. I was playing the role of Juliet. And for ten full weeks I struggled. Hard. How could a girl, like me, play such an iconic character? And I remember a few days before our presentation, Marco said to me, “No one is here to see ‘Juliet’, they’re here to see your Juliet, Kat’s Juliet”. When I heard that, something clicked.

That was the moment I gradually took back all those “Permissions” I had given away so freely. This word belongs to no one, but me. So one by one I started changing the punctuation. Permission. And I signed it Kate. I mean, Kat.