7/31/2019 Dramaturgy Adaptation Proposal

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ADAPTATION PROPOSAL

Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse

by Anne Carson, 1998

SYNOPSIS

There are several narratives at work:

1. A re-creation of the Greek myth of Geryon and Herakles, set in the present as a coming of age

story. In the original myth, Herakles destroys Geryon, a red-winged monster tending cattle on a

volcanic island, and his little red dog. Geryon is an obstacle on his 10 th labor.

2. A love story. The book follows Geryon from age five, growing up as an outsider with a

sexually abusive brother, until he meets an older boy, Herakles. As an adolescent he falls in love

with Herakles, who in turn breaks his heart. Years later, travelling the world as a photographer,Geryon meets Herakles again. He is accompanied by his new boyfriend, Ancash. A love triangle

develops.

Ancash and Herakles take Geryon to the Andes, where he learns about a village of people who

worship a volcano. Some people go into the volcano and fly back out on red wings. Geryon flies

into the volcano to photograph himself inside, using his long dormant wings to literally pass

through the fire.

3. The writing of Geryon’s autobiography, and his artistic discovery; or Geryon’s survival

through art. Through the photographic lense, Geryon is able to witness his own traumas, and tell

his own story. The many “chapters” in Carson’s book appear like snapshots strung together.

4. The history of a text, and the story of the Greek poet Stesichoros . Carson gleans her story from

Stesichoros’ “Song of Geryon,” which survives only in fragments. She also rewrites a legend

from Stesichoros’ own life: He is blinded by Helen of Troy after writing lies about her, and must

write a second poem with an apology to regain his sight. That second poem is considered the first

recorded palinode. In the final chapter Carson conducts a fictional interview with Stesichoros.

CHARACTERS

Central

GERYON

HERAKLES

ANCASH

Secondary

STESICHOROS

The AUTHOR/

TRANSLATOR

MOTHER

BROTHER

LAVA MAN

Extraneous

ZEUS

ATHENA

BABYSITTER/

TEACHER/ GRANDMA

7/31/2019 Dramaturgy Adaptation Proposal

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STORYTELLING

To translate this story to the stage, I will focus on the coming of age narrative, using multiple

voices to relate Geryon’s autobiography. The play will function as the picking-up of fragments,

which are then pieced together to form a kaleidoscopic narrative. Each of the fragments, however

distanced from Geryon’s perspective, will serve to further his story. For example: His first grade

teacher discovers his diary, Herakles has a dream about Geryon, Stesichoros confronts Helen, an

Andean villager climbs the volcano, and so on.

I would like the scenes to have the feel of snapshots. They will be mostly brief, coming in quick

succession, and sometimes employing tableau. For example: Set the scene, characters are frozen,

a bit of illuminating action or dialogue occurs, brief black out, then lights up on the next

snapshot. We will see Geryon with his camera from adolescence onward, often hiding behind his

lense, until he is finally able to turn the camera on himself.

Sets will be minimal. The play will be divided into Adolescence and Adulthood, with one set for

each. Bodies and light will suggest most of the settings. Adolescence is the home, bedroom and

schoolroom. One simple bench may indicate a bed, couch or chair. We may only see the

furniture by its shadow. A rolling blackboard can be used by AUTHOR, STESICHOROS, and

TEACHER, and may also provide a surface for other scenic elements: Geryon sketches his cattlein red chalk, or Geryon stands with his back against it and his wings are drawn onto him.

Adulthood is the plane, the train, the Andes, and the volcano. The blackboard expands to become

the entire stage. The foreign landscapes, mountains, and volcano will be drawn in red chalk right

onto a black backdrop.

As the play progresses, chalk will be erased, leaving remnants of the past scenes. I imagine red

clouds accumulating as each scene is smudged out, finally becoming the Volcano’s smoke in the

final scene. This supports the story’s central themes of identity, memory and the constraints of 

time.

I would like no more than five actors. Geryon, Herakles, Ancash, and two more to play all otherroles. I will use masks at times to indicate roles, and also to show Geryon’s alienation from

others. Geryon is, after all, a red-winged monster uncomfortable in his skin. I envision the masks

as one element of a very primitive, bold-strokes visual style that should elevate the mythic

quality of the story.

There are some aural elements that I would like the actors to create with their bodies. The

thumping, creaking bed; the rushing train; a recurring Song of Geryon; and perhaps more

abstract sounds, like the sound of a heart breaking.

The narrative jumps through time and space (from ancient Greece and Italy, to present day USA,

to the Andes, etc.) For this reason, the character of AUTHOR/TRANSLATOR will be our guide,like a scholar uncovering a story in historical fragments. We will likely only meet AUTHOR

once, and her role may not be overt, but she is the audience’s anchor, or represents their lense.

The historical fragments will be increasingly subverted and manipulated as Geryon grows more

powerful and unpredictable. There will be tension between AUTHOR’s story and the one

Geryon begins to tell, much the like the tension of translation.

I am aiming for a play in which we discover many levels of translation at work.