Assignment: Setting and Stage Directions

Post your response of at least 150-200 words to the Discussion Area. By the end of the week, comment on at least two of your classmates' submissions.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Your instructor will assign a play for the class to read and will post the information as a Week 3 Announcement (i.e., The Glass Menagerie, Trifles, or A Doll's House).

Prompt: The setting (space, place, and time) forms the backdrop and defines the atmosphere for a play. Settings sometimes symbolically present plot and character issues. For example, a locked door could represent an obstacle within a character's life. At other times, the setting can limit or permit the characters' actions.

Think about the setting in the play you read. Consider these aspects:

• Physical space in which the story is placed (confined or open, small or large, limited to one place or not)

• Cultural and social landscape in which the story is situated

• Time in which the action takes place (time of day, year, era, or century)

• Stage directions, including lighting, music, and placement of props

Discuss the setting and stage directions in the play you read. Does the setting produce certain responses from the audience? In what ways does the setting influence the events? Does the setting constrain or liberate the characters? How does the setting reflect the central ideas of the play?

Tips: Remember to provide evidence for your claims in the form of quoted passages from the play. Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries should be cited according to APA rules of style, including in-text and reference citations. Quoted material should not exceed 25% of the document.