Questions for Discussion 1. Bug is being made into a movie. What elements of the play do you think will work better on film? 2. What elements of the play do you think will work better onstage? 3. The title Bug primarily refers to the presence of insects throughout the play. What are some other possible meanings for the title? 4. How do you feel about Peter's claims that he was a victim of unwanted government experiments? Do you believe him? How do the essays on Edgewood Arsenal and Gulf War Syndrome affect your opinion? 5. What is the role of Dr. Sweet in the play? Do you trust him? Why or why not? 6. Discuss the role of drugs and alcohol in Bug.
8. Discuss how the loss of Agnes' son Lloyd affects her relationship with Peter. 9. Compare the opening of Act 1 to the opening of Act 2. How does each opening set the tone for its respective act? 10. Tracy Letts' plays have been associated with a relatively new genre called "In-yer-face theatre." According to theatre critic Aleks Sierz, "In-yer-face theatre shocks audiences by the extremism of its language and images; unsettles them by its emotional frankness and disturbs them by its acute questioning of moral norms." How does Bug fit into this genre? Give specific examples.
Read More Hoffman, David. The Oklahoma City Bombing and the Politics of Terror. Feral House, 1998. Lee, Martin A. and Shlain, Bruce. Acid Dreams: The Complete Social History of LSD: The CIA, the Sixties, and Beyond. Grove Press, 1986. Matsumoto, Gary. Vaccine A: The Covert Government Experiment That's Killing Our Soldiers and Why G.I.s are Only the First Victims. New York: Basic Books, 2004. Sierz, Aleks. In-Yer-Face Theatre: British Drama Today. London: Faber & Faber, 2001. Wheelwright, Jeff. The Irritable Heart: The Medical Mystery of the GulfWar. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2001. www.inyerface-theatre.com/ www.npr.org/programs/specials/jonestown.html (extensive NPR audio documentary on Jim Jones and the People's Temple tragedy at Jonestown)
Syracuse Stage 23
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Bug
7. Do you believe the bugs are really there? Why or why not?