Old+Times+Location,+Run+Time,+Target+Audience

Location, Run Time, Target Audience
Our play is targeted towards new adults because the idea behind the play is heavily up to interpretation. For this reason, the play is more appealing to individuals experiencing the world who are developing opinions because they have not yet formed solidified beliefs. Additionally, we feel as if the play appeals to middle aged people because they can best sympathize with the experiences the characters undergo. For example, the play comments on the inaccuracy of human memory, a problem that is beginning to become pertinent in most middle aged people. We are also reaching to European and Latin American audiences because the character’s worldview resembles the slow paced and laid back worldview of European and Latin American countries. For example, many Americans would view Anna dropping in on Kate and Deeley after not seeing them for 20 years as strange or uncalled for; however, people of Latin American and European origins would not question it. Many Americans would also find Deeley asking Anna to dry off his wife as a breach of the sanctity of their marriage; however, a European attitude towards marriage would not view that as out of place.

We would put our play in the Houston arena theatre primarily because the play does not require much in the way of the set. We will have the divans and armchair in front of an aisle, which – for the most part – confines the characters in front of the aisle. The use of an arena theatre will force the audience to focus more on the actors instead of a backdrop, which is important because the action of the play occurs solely within the words and movements of the actors and does not involve backdrops. The audience surrounding the stage gives the feel that the audience is in the same room as the actors and are overhearing the conversations of the characters in a “fly on the wall” manner. We chose the Houston arena theatre as opposed to other arena theatres because the grandness of the Houston arena theatre adds to the depth and severity of the issues the play deals with.

Our play should run roughly one hour and 50 minutes. Most other productions of this play typically last one hour and thirty minutes without an intermission, but we are placing emphasis on the pauses throughout the play, so it runs one hour and forty minutes without intermission. The remaining ten minutes comes from an intermission. The pauses are a crucial part of Pinter’s work because it develops the tensions between the characters thus revealing to the audience about the inner workings of the characters (we talk more about the significance of the pauses in the analysis). We decided to include an intermission because the energetic youth in the theatre will need a break to check their phones, get up and stretch. Additionally, the play contains a lot to take in, so the break is needed to refresh audience member’s minds.

Productions at this venue tend to last 3 weeks, so our production of Old Times is scheduled to run for 3 weeks during late fall. The season the play runs in is quite important because the play takes place on an Autumn night, which tend to connote the mystery required for the play. Our play is performed the weekly amount typical of the Houston theatre, six days in the week with two shows on Saturday and Sunday and no show on Monday. Shows during the week will be at night so people can come from work or school to the play.