HMDesign

Design Questions for Sure Thing 1. What is meant to be the relationship of the performers to the audience? The performers should both be seen by the audience. The audience is supposed to relate to the performers as the incarnation of what could go wrong or right when trying to get to know somebody. 2. Are the performers and audience meant to occupy the same room? The performers should be in a separate world from the audience as people who are trying to get to know one another. The audience can observe this but cannot be a part of it. 3. What is the period of the dramatic action? How does that affect movement? The dramatic action of the play is the interaction between Betty and Bill. This constantly changes because the scene changes and they often redo their dialogue and alter it. This means that the actors would have to reset themselves physically each time they begin a new “scene” by repeating themselves. 4. What is the geographical location of the action? The characters are in a café, probably in New England (as indicated by the universities that they name). 5. What time of day is it? It is a Friday night. 6. How are the personalities of the characters reflected in the set, lights, costumes, and music? The personalities of the characters are very versatile: they change to further the conversation. They should be costumed in very basic, clothes. Betty could be wearing a sweater, blue jeans, and sneakers. Bill could be wearing a sweater or polo, khakis, and sneakers. The set is a midlevel café with a nice table and matching chairs. The lights should be dim (to reflect that it is night time). The music could stay the same with some Muzak or other generic music. 7. What is the weather? Is it hot or cold? Is it bright or dull? It is a rainy night and slightly chilly. There are street lights outside but the café itself is dull. 8. What is the socio-economic status of the characters? The socio-economic status of the characters changes, but at the end of the play they are both probably mid – to upper-class. 9. What are the occupations of the characters? Betty is a grad student and Bill works in some kind of office during the day. 10. How old are the characters? They are both in their late 20s. Betty seems a bit younger, so maybe 26, and Bill is maybe 27 or 28. 11. What is the relationship of the characters to eachother? They characters just met in the café and are trying to make a connection with one another. 12. Which characters are to be emphasized? Which are to be subordinated? Both characters receive equal dialogue because they are equally lost in trying to discover someone new. 13. Where are the entrances and exits? The entrance/exit is stage right and the café table that Betty is sitting at is center stage. 14. What are the furniture and property needs of the play and how do they reflect the characters and their actions? The play needs a café table, two café chairs, a small vase with a rose, a cappuccino cup for Betty, a paper napkin, a sugar bowl, a spoon, salt and pepper shakers, a book and a wristwatch for Betty, and a hotel-desk bell (offstage). The café props indicate that where they are is a fairly nice place (not like in a college town or a Starbucks) because of the rose and the sugar bowl. The book and the wristwatch show that Betty is a reader and that she likes to keep track of the time, maybe because she usually has someplace to be. The hotel-desk bell signifies the alteration of a scene or a line that changes the course of the conversation.