LKDESIGN

1.. Philadelphia is representational, so the actors are representing real people in a conversation. The actors ignore the audience, and behave as though the fourth wall is present.  2. No, the audience and the performers are not meant to be in the same room. The actors don’t interact with the audience and they pretend they are not even there. 3. There is no specific period of dramatic action in the play; it could take place at any time within the setting of a diner and in the latter half of the 20th or 21st century. 4. Action is located in a diner in New York City. 5. It is probably towards the evening, due to the fact the characters want to order heavier, more dinner-suited food. 6. For Al, his clothes should be comfortable and maybe even colorful, reflecting his California sunny disposition. Mark should be wearing darker, more disheveled clothing, maybe a jacket, to reflect his Philadelphia depression. The waitress should wear a waitress’s apron, nametag, and a wrinkled blouse to make her look “weary”. The lights should mimic that of a diner, some overhead lights, with the spotlight on the table with Mark and Al. There shouldn’t be music, as the play does not call for music and it would detract from the conversation.  7. There is no mention of the weather, but it most likely will be darker outside, and definitely not sunny. It is New York, so maybe a gray light though the windows would be appropriate.  8. Mark and Al are most likely middle class men, considering they have jobs and they are attending an average diner. The waitress is working class, as she is in the service industry. 9. Al’s job was in the garment district, Mark’s job is not mentioned, and the waitress is a waitress. 10 The characters are all probably in their mid thirties to mid forties, considering Al used to have a girlfriend, and the waitress and Mark flirt. 11. Mark and Al are close friends, but they do not know the waitress. Towards the end of the play, Mark flirts with the waitress, however, and hints of romantic possibilities arise. 12. Mark and Al should be emphasized equally, as their conversation elucidates what it means to be in a Philadelphia, or a Los Angeles.. The waitress is not to be emphasized as much, as she has much less dialogue and appears only to take and bring orders. 13. At the beginning of the play, the waitress and Al are already onstage, then Mark enters when the waitress exits. The waitress enters again to tell Al he is fired, then exits, then enters again to take Mark's order and exits. The waitress enters again with Mark’s food Al exits when he realizes that he is in a Philadelphia and then Mark and the waitress are left on stage at the end of the play. 14. There should be a table, a red-checkered cloth, two chairs and a specials board. The waitress should have a pad, pencil, a glass of beer, and a cheese steak. The table and the chairs are central to the action between Mark and Al, and the pad and pencil emphasize the role of the waitress.