Post-Performance Questions 1. A Streetcar Named Desire is perhaps the best-known American play, and this often presents a challenge for the theatre mounting the production: the audience comes with certain expectations of how the play should look. Watch the film A Streetcar Named Desire. Compare the film to Syracuse Stage’s production. How are the two alike and how do they differ? Discuss character, design, direction, etc. 2. How did both the film version and Syracuse Stage’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire differ from how you imagined the play when you were reading it? Which did you enjoy the most: film version, theatre version, or your imagination? Explain why. 3. Which scene did you find the most engrossing in our production? Explain why. Was it the same scene you found most engrossing when you read the script? 4. How did the Syracuse Stage’s set designer capture the ambiance of New Orleans in the 1940s? 5. The sound designer is responsible for not only for creating the incidental sound effects in the play, and there are many in A Streetcar Named Desire, but also for creating the play’s mood through music and other audio devices. Think back on Syracuse Stage’s production. How may different sound effects were used? How did the designer create the world of the play through sound? Can you think of other ways to enhance the play through sound? 6. What scene in the play moved you the most? Describe the elements of the scene, such as dialogue, physical action, lighting, sound, costumes, props, etc., that contributed to your reaction. 7. Ethnicity and class are subtly woven into A Streetcar named Desire. Discuss some of the moments in the play where these issues are addressed. 8. In addition to learning a character’s lines, an actor must understand the motivation behind the dialogue. In fact, it’s helpful to flesh out other aspects of character too. Choose a character and describe the way the actor brought the physical qualities of that character to life. 9. Discuss how the costumes reflected the era of the play and the personalities of the characters. 10. After having read the play and viewed Syracuse Stage’s production, was there an aspect of the story that you were not aware of until seeing the production? Was there anything in the script that you thought wasn’t apparent in the production?
52