FMdesign


 * //Philadelphia// **

** 1. What is meant to be the relationship of the performers to the audience? ** It is representational because the performers don’t directly address the audience or indirectly make some sign or gesture to the audience. The actors pretend that there is no audience. It doesn’t seem like there are any pauses where the audience can laugh at their comical lines.

** 2. Are the performers and audience meant to occupy the same room? ** Well the performers pretend they are not in the same room as the audience because this is representational. The audience is not a part of the play.

** 3. What is the period of the dramatic action? How does that affect movement? **

The period of dramatic action is when Al tells Mark why his day is going the way it is. Al tells him that he is metaphysically in Philadelphia, so that’s why everything is opposite to what he asks for. Therefore, knowing now that he has to ask for the opposite, this gives movement in the play by Mark now knowing what to do. For the rest of the play, Mark asks the waitress for the opposite and gets what he actually wants. However, things turn out bad for Al, and for the rest of the scene he has issues with ordering.

** 4. What is the geographical location of the action? ** They are in a bar/restaurant in New York, but “metaphysically” in Philadelphia because they do not get what they ask for.

** 5. What time of day is it? ** It is probably in the daytime since it seems like lunchtime since Al gets a cheese steak. Or it could be nighttime too if they’re eating dinner. You can’t really tell.

** 6. How are the personalities of the characters reflected in the set, lights, costumes, and music? ** For the set, there is a restaurant table covered with the infamous red-checkered cloth. That shows that they are at the some sort of dining area, and that there will be a waiter/waitress. The waitress carries pad and pencil as a normal waitress would do to take somebody’s order. The other items she uses are the glass of beer and the plate of cheese steak that she brings to Mark and Al. How the lights and music are used is not really mentioned here. Most likely the light would be focused on the two men because they are the main actors where the central problem occurs. If there is any music, it could be some restaurant music at a low volume.

** 7. What is the weather? Is it hot or cold? Is it bright or dull? ** One can’t really know for sure since they are in the restaurant the whole time. For Mark, it might be dull in the beginning since he has been having a bad day, but later it could get bright as he understands that everything is opposite. Or it might be sunny and warm on a summer day in New York, or cold and snowy on a winter day in New York.

** 8. What is the socio/economic status of the characters? ** The two men are probably middle class since they can afford to go to a regular diner, and one can’t tell what the waitress could be. Either middle or low class, because if she was high class, most likely she wouldn’t have worked as a waitress.

** 9. What are the occupations of the characters? ** Al works at the garment district in New York until he gets fired, and we don’t know the occupation of Mark. And obviously, the waitress’s occupation is being a waitress.

** 10. How old are the characters? ** Al is in his 20s or 30s. Mark is in his 20s or 30s**.** The waitress is probably around Al and Mark’s age because Al makes a flirtatious comment to her in the beginning and Mark hits on her at the end.

** 11. What is the relationship of the characters to each other? ** Mark and Al are friends, and the waitress just serves them. Mark ends up getting to know and have a chat with the waitress at the end.

** 12. Which characters are to be emphasized? Which are to be subordinated? ** Mark and Al are to be emphasized since they have the problems that are the central action in the play. The waitress is there to add comedy, but she isn’t as important as them. However she is needed to show how things work in “a Philadelphia.”

** 13. Where are the entrances and exits? ** The beginning of the play starts off with the waitress and Al at the restaurant table. Mark enters looking flustered. And throughout the play, the waitress comes in and out to write down their order or to give them their order. Where the entrances and exits are located is not shown in the play.

** 14. What are the furniture and property needs of the play and how do they reflect the characters and their actions? ** There is a table with a red-checkered cloth and a specials board to show that they are at a dining area; therefore there is a waitress. There are two chairs for Mark and Al to sit on since they are customers. The waitress holds a pad and pencil to write down the customers’ orders. She brings out the glass of beer and the plate with cheese steak later for Mark and Al which are the opposite that they asked for.