Play Guide [1.2MB PDF] - Arizona Theatre Company

Day One Activity
1) Pass out the selected scene from The Glass Menagerie. Discuss how a play is written
differently than a book. Specifi cally, how is the format different?
- There are setting notes before the scene begins, explaining how the set looks and
where set pieces such as furniture are located.
- Speaking characters are shown by name followed by what they say. For example:
Jim: How are you feeling now? Better?
Laura: Yes. Yes, thank you.
- There are stage directions (in parenthesis) discussing the character’s emotions, as
well As providing information about staging and blocking.
2) As a class, discuss why an actor analyzes the text, looking for information about the
time period in which the play is set as well as clues about his/her character. How does
text analysis make an actor more prepared for a role and a performance?
3) Divide the students into small groups of 3 or 4 people. Have each group read and
analyze one scene looking for specifi c cultural references and/or objects that illustrate the
play’s 1930s time period (music, movies, dances, slang, etc…) and have personal meaning
for at least one of the characters. As they read, they should also write down adjectives that
best describe the characters in the scene. As an alternative to adjectives, ask students to
list verbs that describe how the characters are trying to affect one another in a scene, i.e.
manipulate, enlighten, patronize, exalt.
4) As a class, list all the cultural references or objects found in each scene on the
blackboard, as well as which character or characters are connected to that particular
reference/object.
5) As a class, fi nd a similar cultural reference/object from 2010 for each item listed on
the board. Be specifi c. References and objects may have more than one contemporary
equivalent…be creative and list as many as you can think of!
6) Next, list the four characters in The Glass Menagerie. Who are these characters?
What is it that each character wants to achieve in the scene? In the play? What do the
references or objects listed on the board mean to these characters? Keep in mind that
some of these things will have a positive connotation for one character and a negative
connotation for another (e.g., Tom loves the escapist nature of the movies, whereas
Amanda sees them as putting ideas in his head and making him more of a dreamer.)
The Glass Menagerie
Arizona Theatre Company Play Guide 34