Statement: Producing the play

Production Problems Posed By the Text:

The first issues posed by the script are the time and place to set it in. Once you have set the date, you need to research all the issues surrounding that date, such as current events. Any issues of that time could affect the plays content and how the audience responds. Also when you have set the place you have to research events in that place on that day, involving Stonewater Rapture , you would need to research churches in that area, any events that involve the content at all. The setting is the living room and porch of a small house, one problem in having an audience on all three sides is visibility by the audience, the set has to be in such a way that the audience can see every aspect of it. Other problems the text presents are the sexual encounters, in scene one the boob scene as I like to call it can be played many ways but if made too sexual could ruin the intent of the author but if played too innocent it could muddy the affects of later events. And also the final part in scene two, the image at the end has to be a tableau, to the affect that audience will understand the meaning behind it.

Production Problems Posed By Our Context:

If Sam were to produce “The Stonewater Rapture”, some major issues would be the churches reaction to how the religious content was displayed and how we are presenting religion to the audience. Also this is for a more mature audience, high schools could come to see it but you would be hard pressed to have it accepted by the school board or even to have the parents to allow their children to see it. This play deals with homosexuality though it may be small in the context, it’s still there as a bright red flag to those people who are against it. You might have to deal with protesters or at least have churches and parents sending emails to the head of the department about how this show is wrong to do for the community. Most students at the college would not have a problem coming to see the show, because studies show that college students are more apt to deal with the controversies and see the actual meaning of the issues and how they actually affect them every day.

Other Production’s Solutions:

Other Productions have solved these problems by one easing their community into the play. Some productions have started off by doing plays with similar content and seeing the reactions of the community. Other Productions have sent out emails to the local churches explaining the plays content and seeing the reactions of the leaders. Also they have sent flyers out gauging the reaction of the community. Fact: you will never have a show that makes everyone happy there will always be one person or one group that finds something offensive about your production, you can’t please everyone.

Critical Response:

I had a hard time finding any reviews at all on this play, it seems to not be done that often, on the reviews I did find, they seem to have been moved by the words and the pictures created by the performances they have seen. The productions that I could find were all college level, and were reviewed by the school paper or the local paper, just little short excerpts, about the play and their reactions which were to say the play was worth seeing and it had been incredible moving.