Download File - The Leisure Society

THE LEISURE SOCIETY - STUDY KIT
Written by Francois Archambault
Directed by Ellen Davis
Infinithátre 2011/2012
Index
Cast and Crew
Director’s Notes
Artistic Directors Notes
The Relationship Crisis of the 21st Century
Questions for Discussion
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6-8
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10-12
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CAST & CREW
Ellen David - Director
Ellen David is no stranger to Montréal audiences as an actor, and has begun to amass
directing credits in her hometown as well. She directed very successful productions of
Intimate Exchanges and Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks for Theatre Lac Brome; Ned Cox’s
Book Club for Chick-Lit Co-op at Freestanding Room; and recently wrote and directed her
first short film What a Doll!, which won the ACTRA audience choice award for Best Film. On
stage, Ellen was most recently seen as the explosive Veronica in God of Carnage at Centaur
Theatre and as Dora in Equus at the Segal Centre. TV and film credits include ACTRA
nominated performances in 18 to Life, Ciao Bella and The Business, as well as her award
winning portrayal of Clara in the feature film Surviving My Mother.
François Archambault - Playwright
A graduate in playwriting from the National Theatre School of Canada in 1993, François
Archambault is the author of more than fifteen plays translated into various languages
presented in Québec, in Canada and abroad. In 1998, he won the Governor General’s Award
for his play, 15 Seconds. The Leisure Society, whose original production was performed 142
times, garnered the Masque award for best original play. In addition to writing for the
theater, François has written for television, including two seasons of the Radio-Canada
series Les Étoiles filantes and, among other things, co-wrote the web series, Fabrique-moi
un Conte.
Daniel Brochu - Peter
Daniel is very happy to be working for Infinithéâtre for the first time. He was seen recently
in Geordie Theatre's The Little Prince at Centaur Theatre and last month in Scientific
Americans at the Segal Centre. Daniel is wrapping up his 16th season as the voice of Buster
Baxter on the Emmy award-winning cartoon, Arthur, and is looking forward to re-vamping
his role as the cute and cuddly Erskine Mole with Sidemart Theatrical Grocery at Centaur
Theatre this coming May.
Sheena Gazé-Deslandes - Paula
Sheena is a graduate of the John Abbott College Professional Theatre Acting Program. This
is her second production with Infinithéâtre; she had the opportunity to play the role of
Carrie in their production of David Sherman’s The Daily Miracle. Other theatre credits
include Rowena in Neil Simon’s Biloxi Blues, Anitra in Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, April Green
in Lanford Wilson’s Hot L Baltimore and the Stage Manager in Thorton Wilder’s Our Town.
She has also had the occasion to work off-stage as an Assistant Stage Manager for the
Montreal Theatre Ensemble’s production of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.
Catherine De Sève - Mary
Catherine De Sève studied butoh dance in Japan and graduated in acting from the National
Theatre School of Canada. She shares her time and versatile talent between French and
English theatre, voice work, television and film. Catherine made a name for herself on
Québec television in Sketch Show (Gemini nomination for Best Actress in comedy). Since
2003, she's been part of the prime-time program L’auberge du chien noir on SRC. She was
also seen in the popular series La galère 3, the entertainment show Bar ouvert, and Ken
Scott’s feature film, Starbuck. On stage, amongst other things, Catherine was part of the
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creation team of Brigitte Haentjens’s Tout comme elle (Usine C) and several plays of mime
company, Omnibus. She also played Mercedes in The Count of Monte Cristo, La Binette in
Scaramouche (Denise-Pelletier Theatre); the Marquise de Merteuil in Dangerous Liaisons
(Segal Centre for Performing Arts) and Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire (Théâtre du
Rideau Vert).
Howard Rosenstein - Mark
Howard Rosenstein is a Montréal based actor back in Le Bain again with Infinithéâtre after
performing in last month’s production of Arthur Holden’s Ars Poetica. He has also worked
with Guy Sprung on Father Land, The Daily Miracle, Rabbit Rabbit and The Elephant Song.
He played Marco in last season’s Segal Centre production of A View from the Bridge and was
recently seen with Paul Van Dyck’s Rabbit in a Hat Productions at Theatre Ste-Catherine as
Rex in Jim Burke’s Cornered. This is the first time he is working with Ellen David as director,
and is happy for it and her beautifully chosen cast. Howard plays Senator Allen in the soonto-be-released And Now a Word from our Sponsor with Bruce Greenwood and Parker Posey,
and is currently working on the web series Heroes of the North. Enjoy the show and please
visit howardrosenstein.com.
Julien St-Pierre - Lighting Designer
A lighting designer for 12 years, this is both Julien’s first creation for Infinithéâtre and for
professional theater. Working mainly in the field of variety shows and special events, for
Julien the theater has always been a place synonymous with passion, imagination and
innovation. In addition to The Leisure Society, Julien is now collaborating with Visigo Group,
a company made up of multidisciplinary artists from the Montreal area with whom he
produced the Dome Project at the Monument National in 2010. He also designed lights for
vocal impersonator Michael Rancourt’s new Québec tour.
George Allister - Video Designer
The Leisure Society marks George’s first time designing video projections for Inifinithéâtre.
He currently works full-time as the Segal Centre’s Multimedia Producer. Past credits include
video compositions for Scientific Americans (2012) Equus (2011), Lies My Father Told Me
(2011), A View from the Bridge (2010), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2009) and Tryst (2008). He
was also responsible for video projections in Geordie Productions’ For Art’s Sake in 2010 at
Centaur Theatre. A Montréal native, George graduated from Ryerson University’s New Media
program in Toronto.
Patrick Andrew Boivin - Video Designer
Patrick Andrew Boivin is a video designer, electronic musician and artist based in Montréal.
The Leisure Society marks his fourth theater credit. Past productions include co-designing
the video projections in Scientific Americans (2012) and Equus (2011) at the Segal Centre
for Performing Arts. He recently collaborated with Calgary’s Ghost River Theater and
Vancouver’s Rumble Productions, working as co-creator and video design specialist in a
three week devising theater creation workshop. Patrick, a Montréal native, graduated from
Concordia University in Communication Studies. Other work includes video editing for visual
artists Sylvia Safdie and Geneviève Cadieux.
Christian Thomas- Composer and Sound Designer
Versatile artist, Christian Thomas recently composed original music for La Compagnie JeanDuceppe including Match, Dans l'ombre d'hemingway and Pourquoi Pas. He also created the
sound conception for Revue et corrigée 2011 at Théâtre du Rideau Vert and the original
score for Equus at the Segal Centre for Performing Arts. For the cinema, he created the
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music for the documentary Du Big Bang au Vivant with Hubert Reeves and Jean- Pierre
Luminet. The film, showing large images taken by NASA from satellites, rockets and
powerful telescopes, is a celebration in image and music of our knowledge of the universe.
With this music, Christian composed his first symphonic melody for a CD recorded at RadioCanada’s Studio 12. He was a member on the final jury for ‘Evolution’; CBC/Radio-Canada’s
national composition prize. Christian has been working in the Montréal and international
music scene for over 25 years.
Ginette Grenier- Costume Designer
A 1997 graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, Ginette Grenier has designed
many costumes as well as sets for theatre, dance and film. With over seventy shows to her
credit, Mme. Grenier has earned seven nominations at Le Gala des Masques and an Opus
Award for Marisol et Rémi sur les chemins de la nuit with the OSM. Past costume creations
for Opera McGill include The Rape of Lucretia, Thésée, The Rake's Progress, Hänsel und
Gretel, Imeneo, La Bohème, Radamisto and Alcina. She also has conceived costumes for
Relative Good and Paradise by the River at Centaur Theatre as well as Death & Taxes with
Infinithéâtre.
Vincent Lefèvre - Set Designer
A 1997 graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, Vincent Lefèvre also received a
diploma in Applied Arts in Strasbourg, France. He has designed sets and costumes for
theatre, dance and opera productions in Montréal and Ottawa. Credits include Opera McGill
set designs for Don Giovanni, Idomeneo, Louis Riel, Così fan tutte, Alcina and The Rake's
Progress. He also designed sets for Relative Good and Paradise by the River at Centaur
Theatre; Intimate Exchanges and 6 Dance Lessons in 6 Weeks directed by Ellen David at
Theatre Lac Brome; as well as Death & Taxes with Infinithéâter. His work has been
nominated for various awards including an Opus Award for Louis Riel with Opera McGill
and Marisol et Rémi sur les chemins de la nuit with the OSM, and a Mecca nomination for
set design for The Caretaker at Centaur Theatre.
Michael Panich - Stage Manager
Michael is very happy to be working with Ellen David again having stage managed Book
Club with Chick-Lit Co-Op under her direction in April of 2011. Michael graduated from
Concordia University’s theatre department in 2008. Since then he has been stage managing
and doing a bit of acting in Montréal and Québec City. He recently designed his first set and
lights for Robin Hood Redux: There Will be Tights with Purple Doorknob Productions.
Selected stage management credits include: Ars Poetica and Joe Louis: An American
Romance with Infinithéâtre; The Poster with Teesri Duniya Theatre; Macbeth with
Repercussion Theatre; and I Am I as part of Centaur Theatre’s 2011 Wildside Festival.
Selected ASM credits include: Medea with Scapegoat Carnivale Theatre; Romeo & Juliet with
Repercussion Theatre; and The Daily Miracle with Infinithéâtre. Congratulations to the cast
and crew of The Leisure Society.
Rachel Dawn Woods - Apprentice Stage Manager
Rachel is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada and St. Thomas University.
Stage management credits include: Ed's Garage, Footloose (Grand Theatre London); Gifts of
the Magi (Theatre New Brunswick) Romeo and Juliet (National Arts Centre);
Christmas@thePlayhouse: Heart in Every Home (Fredericton Playhouse); Demolitics,
Nomentacke (NotaBle Acts Theatre Festival); Henry VI, Stop Heart (NTS); The Hostage.
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ELLEN DAVIS - ARTISTIC DIRECTORS NOTES
Directors Statement
In 2003, I had the good fortune of attending one of the premiere performances of La
Société des Loisirs, Governor General literary award winner François Archambault’s scathing
and hysterically funny exposé of a marriage on the verge of a nervous breakdown. It was
an evening of great theatre I never forgot. The play tore to shreds the “30-something”
generation and their self-destructive desire to “have it all”, costs be damned! The small
Théâtre de la Manufacture show that began at La Licorne, went on to experience great
success all over Québec, seducing more than 27,000 theatre-goers, won two Masque
awards for best original text and best actor, was re-mounted many times including at
Théâtre du Rideau Vert in 2006, toured the province twice, and made its way over to
Europe.
A faithful and fluid translation of the play into English by Bobby Theodore called The Leisure
Society led to successful productions across Canada from British Columbia to Newfoundland,
where Anglophone Canadians have had the opportunity to see this wickedly funny, often
shocking and caustic social commentary. Alas, the play has never been performed here in
Montreal in English apart from a single scene that was representative of an English theatre
component at the Prix des Masque awards in 2006. I also had the good fortune of playing
the role of Mary in that televised performance. People seemed to be blown away by the
subject matter, content and translation and yet The Leisure Society was never picked up by
any of the English companies here in Montreal…until now.
When Guy Sprung asked me what show I would be interested in directing for the
Infinithéatre season, I did not have to think too hard. As soon as I mentioned “The Leisure
Society”, he smiled and nodded in acknowledgement, having been fortunate enough to have
seen the original production as well, and been very moved, touched and awe-struck by its
raw genius.
What is spectacularly wonderful about this being a premiere of sorts in English, and the fact
that it is happening in 2012 as opposed to when it was first produced and translated, is that
the play is even more timely and poignant a story to be told at this point in our history.
What with advances in technology, rampant consumerism and overspending as a factor in
the recent economic crisis, and the nuclear family growing farther apart than ever, the time
is not only right, but demands that this provocative story be told now. As well, one of the
joys and benefits of producing this play here in Montreal is that we have the benefit of the
two cultures living and sleeping side by side to enhance the script. As a partner in a biculture relationship myself, I feel I have an ideal perspective from which to direct this play
and I intend to exploit our unique situation in Montreal.
In directing the play I will be using the English translation but also taking from the original
French text wherever possible. This will be an English production with a nod to the French
productions that came before it. The actors I have chosen are not only gifted and dynamic
performers, they represent a cross cultural and multi-racial profile of our community and
will serve to enhance and anchor the play in our current reality. Catherine De Sève, who I
have cast in the role of Mary, is a versatile and charismatic bilingual Francophone actor who
has made a name for herself performing leading roles with such companies as Omnibus and
Momentum, and she recently played Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire at Théâtre du
Rideau Vert, and the Marquise de Merteuil in Dangerous Liaisons in English at the Segal
Centre. Daniel Brochu, who will be playing Peter, is an Anglophone performer known for his
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remarkable characterizations and willingness to take risks. His roles at theatres such as
Centaur, The Grand and companies such as Sidemart Theatrical Grocery have garnered him
much critical praise and the admiration and respect of his peers. For the role of Paula, I
have cast recent John Abbott College Professional Theatre Program graduate Sheena GazéDeslandes, an up-and-coming bilingual performer of Jamaican descent. She made her
professional debut last season in Infinithéatre’s The Daily Miracle and is a mesmerizing
presence, someone to watch out for. And finally, in the role of Mark, I have cast Neil Napier,
a wonderful and committed actor, much in demand these days who has made his own mark
with companies such as Gravy Bath and recently at Centaur and Infinithéatre. The cast
represents the versatility that is Montreal with English and French, black and white, maturity
and youth, seasoned pros and a newcomer all part of the fabric of our production.
Working with the highly talented set designer Vincent Lefèvre, I envision our set to be
indicative of a chic, ultra modern, very au-courant living room. I would like to access new
innovations in computer-controlled projected scenery, along with digital enhancements of
artwork and images that are thematically related to reflect the mood of the play. Skype,
texting, projected digital images…all so much an integral part of our daily lives and devices
that were designed to enhance and ease our experience, thereby granting us the time and
means to access our own “leisure society”, will be incorporated into the daily lives of our
characters and their world. What proponents of the leisure society did not account for was
how these aids would create a very detached and empty “me generation” always on the look
out for “more and better and faster” …all this to the detriment of the human experience and
interaction so necessary to be happy and productive on a more soulful scale. These
characters literally strip bare this essential human need to connect and the various ways in
which they attempt to achieve this are both achingly funny and painfully raw.
I think audiences will embrace “The Leisure Society” of 2012 and come away having seen
communally a show that speaks to our own alienation from self and spirit with a renewed
perspective on our current identity crisis, and a sore gut from having laughed a little too
hard at our characters…and themselves perhaps.
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Directors’s Program Notes
Just over two years ago, I was performing in David Sherman’s The Daily Miracle, when
Artistic Director Guy Sprung made me an offer I couldn’t refuse… and it was legal! He asked
me if I would like to direct a play for Infinithéâtre… I took a while to think it over and when
I responded in the affirmative about 3 seconds later, his next question was “What play do
you wanna do?” Without even thinking about it, and I am sure in less time than it took to
answer the previous question, I blurted out “La Société des loisirs… in English of course!” I
had seen the original production at La Licorne almost ten years ago directed by friend and
colleague Michel Monty and I had never forgotten the dark humour and the searing tragiccomical effect of François Archambault’s scathing exposé of a marriage on the verge of a
nervous breakdown. The Québec public of course felt the same and the show went on to
experience unbelievable critical and popular success in its many runs and tours, eventually
being translated very effectively by Bobby Theodore and enjoying success across Canada
and overseas. It never saw the light of day in Montréal in English, save for a very brief
excerpt during a televised Les Masques Award ceremony, in which yours truly played the
role of Mary. What stroke of luck that Guy had also seen the original production, and taking
his own sweet time, said immediately… “YES!”
And so, here we are… it may have taken a few years, some juggling of theatre spaces from
here to the Segal Centre and back here again, mostly as a result of grant limbo… but The
Leisure Society is now ready for prime time! In a serendipitous kind of way, those delays
have only made the play more timely and important, more relevant in ways that François
might not have imagined when he first thought up these characters, and posed the
question: what is the cost of having it all? With rampant consumerism and overspending a
factor in the economic crisis of recent years and individuals questioning as never before the
values and morals that have brought them to the brink of personal disaster, the further
erosion of the nuclear family and advances in our high tech designer society have spawned
new recreational forms of alienation from each other and our human condition. The journey
may be funny, but it’s no joke. As for finally exposing this play to an English Montréal
audience, I am in the privileged position of being able to reflect in my casting the beautiful
diversity of language and culture that belongs to our city, and to expose our audience to the
masterpieces of our very own Québecois modern artists past and present, including JeanPaul Riopelle and Paul-Émile Borduas.
I would like to thank playwright François Archambault for trusting me to tell this story and
for turning me inside out as I watched this raw and moving play. His generosity extended to
attending our rehearsal, and tweaking and tailoring the text to reflect the current world
economic situation. Translator Bobby Theodore hopped on board to make those changes
accessible to our English audience. I would like to thank the original cast, Marie-Hélène
Thibault, Christian Bégin, Geneviève Néron and Normand D’Amour, for their unforgettable
performances and making me laugh out loud while I was crying on the inside. I would like to
thank director Michel Monty for his inspiration and perfect blend of humour and gravitas. I
would like to thank my own creative team for giving me the wings to realize my vision of
moving the work forward in time and space, and Chris Hidalgo and the staff and crew at
Infinithéatre for their dedication, tirelessness, craftsmanship and support. I am extremely
grateful to the actors… four brave souls who bring this play to life and who were game to go
the distance to tell the truth, and of course my biggest thanks goes out to Guy Sprung, the
man who works his own daily miracles to keep it all going despite the challenges and the
odds, and who took a chance on me and opened a door with a spirit of grace and
generosity.
- Ellen David
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GUY SPRUNG: ARTISTIC DIRECTOR’S NOTES
What is Leisure? The Toronto economists try and tell us that Quebec is one of the poorest
provinces in terms of average income and standard of living. Let those poor benighted
heathen in English Canada think that, so they won’t all head back down the 401 and try and
horn in on our paradise here in Montreal. M. Archambault’s caustic wit reminds us that
leisure has nothing to with how many swimming pools we may have in our back yard or
owning the latest model Merc or Beemer. Leisure might have more to do with selfknowledge, avoiding being conned into wanting more, and finding the wisdom in
appreciating the incredible richness we are surrounded with. Including some really great
theatre we can experience at almost no cost!
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THE RELATIONSHIP CRISIS OF THE 21ST CENTURY
We are in the midst of a social crisis - a crisis in relationships.
There are probably some that would flat-out disagree with this statement. For instance,
according to the Associated Press (2007), America’s divorce rate peaked at 5.3 divorces per
1,000 people in 1981 and since then, has dropped to about 3.6 (although it should be noted
that 34.8% of first marriages still end before their 15th anniversary).
Most would probably look at the decline in divorce rate and point to that as a clear indicator
for why relationships are as strong as ever in the first part of the 21st century. Then again,
that indicator is mitigated by the following facts:
• Number of couples who live together without marrying has increased tenfold since 1960;
• The marriage rate has dropped nearly 30% during that time;
• Americans are waiting nearly five years longer to marry than they did in 1970.
So in other words, just because divorce rates are in decline does not mean that break-up
rates or frequency of break-ups between couples are in decline - since there have been no
broad scale studies that look at break-up rates (to my knowledge).
So if we take a different perspective on the situation we can trace an unprecedented boom
in divorce rates occurring in the 70s. Over the next thirty years, our collective consciousness
began to look more critically at the institution of marriage and now we are in a societal state
in which we tend to regard marriage with a relatively high degree of skepticism.
By age 30, most of our parents generation were entrenched in lifelong relationships and had
already begun developing the ensuing generation while at age 30, most people I know are
either struggling to deal with long-term relationships or still single (although I do admit to
knowing a handful of happily married couples my age).
So what exactly is going on?
I’m no sociologist (although I did do my graduate studies in sociology) but here are some
general thoughts I have based on anecdotal evidence as well as fragmented memories from
when I did my academic studies):
Increasing Individualism (and decreasing sociability)
People are becoming increasingly individualistic. According the famous sociologist Robert
Putnam, there are very clear indicators - declining rates in various types of civic and political
participation, decreasing attendance at religious institutions, etc. - that all paint a picture of
an American population that is becoming less interested in public life and more interested in
private life.
In addition, the increasing pressures of finance and time, increasing suburbanization, and
increased consumption of solitary media (like television) have contributed to a broad decline
in social capital in the United States.
Anecdotally, I couldn’t agree with him more. I feel as though single people simply
participate less in social activities. Increasingly, the social outlet for young(er) single
professionals is nightlife - and as we all know, nightlife is never extremely successful at
creating long-term satisfactory relationships because the basis for commonality is normally
quantity of alcohol consumed and raw sexual attraction; whereas the basis for commonality
at non-bar/club social functions is normally shared interests.
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Rising Cost of Living
The assumption that two well-matched people will be able to have a utopic lifelong
relationship without some hard work is a fallacy at best.
Relationships take work regardless of how well-matched two people are. In the 1950s, it
was feasible (actually expected) for a middle-class man to support a family on his wages.
With a traditional division of labor between genders it was therefore feasible for couples to
spend their free time focused on maintaining and building their relationship.
Over the past several decades, we have seen increases in inflation, energy prices, and real
estate prices - without commensurate wage growth - creating a situation where most
working and middle class couples have to get by on dual-incomes. The dual-income
situation has resulted in less available time for couples to spend with one another working
on their relationship.
The Balancing of Infidelity in Men and Women
In the nuclear family of the 1950s, the man went to work during the day and the woman
stayed at home and tended to the household. Chances are that the man probably enjoyed
affairs at the workplace and when he went on business trips while the woman stayed
relatively faithful at home. Then the sexual revolution occurred in the 1960s and women
sort of started to realize that they actually enjoyed sex and f@%k men for thinking that
they were the only sexual beings that existed. Throughout the latter part of the 20th
century a number of factors including innovations in information-communication
technologies and increasing rates of female employment have contributed to an increase in
female infidelity.
According to a relatively heralded 2004 Newsweek feature article on the subject,
Couples therapists estimate that among their clientele, the number (of women who have
had extra-marital affairs) is close to 30 to 40 percent, compared with 50 percent of
men, and the gap is almost certainly closing. In 1991, the National Opinion Research
Center at the University of Chicago asked married women if they’d ever had sex outside
their marriage, and 10 percent said yes. When the same pollsters asked the same
question in 2002, the “yes” responses rose to 15 percent, while the number of men
stayed flat at about 22 percent. The best interpretation of the data: the cheating rate for
women is approaching that of men, says Tom Smith, author of the NORC’s reports on
sexual behavior. When Michele Weiner-Davis, a marriage counselor and founder of the
Divorce Busting Center in Woodstock, Ill., started practicing 20 years ago, just 10
percent of the infidelity she knew of was committed by women. Now, she believes, it’s
closer to 50 percent.
Now clearly I’m not putting this on women - that would be idiotic. What I’m saying is that
there has always been a high rate of men who have cheated while their wives have stood
stoically by. During the past thirty years there has been an increase in female infidelity,
which has come close to rivaling that of men, and our society has simply not figured out
how to deal with men and women who cheat at almost an equal rate.
Glorification of Sex
Up until now, the mainstream media has avoided sharing the blame. My opinion on the
media is that they are predominantly a reflection of our society - and that although they do
have an influence on our cultural norms and perceptions, it is not as fundamental as other
social and economic factors - and even if it were we have unsatisfactory methods for
measuring the impact of media.
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That being said, I do feel that they do play a role in assisting us shape the lense through
which we examine ourselves and our society on a day-to-day basis. The media could play a
greater role in showing us the best and worst sides of ourselves - in helping us reflect on
our shortcomings and our strengths as a society, and ultimately serve a beneficial role in
helping us move forward as a society.
Our corporate American media seems mostly interested in packaging and selling sex to
mass consumer audiences. I’m sure producers who work for network and cable television
stations look condescendingly at cultural products like Girls Gone Wild and think to
themselves, “Boy I’m glad I don’t produce crap like that.”
Guess what idiots? You do produce crap like that each and every day and it is force fed into
the eyes and ears of our collective psyche until everyone we look at of the opposite gender
is an object to be f#%ked and every weekend is an opportunity to go get drunk and find
someone new to f$*k.
How else do you explain the popularity of Desperate Housewives, Sex in the City, every
single show on MTV, Big Brother, Entourage, The Real Housewives of Orange County, The
Real Housewives of New York City, etc.
With every episode we watch, we get a little bit more deluded in our perspective of how to
relate to other human beings.
We lose sight of what is important as a culture and as a society.
So to wrap things up (and maybe help shift the perception you may have created by now of
me as some cantankerous iconoclast) I simply think that to get out of this storm we have
created for ourselves, we need to remember what is truly important and act accordingly.
It is not truly important to be the most beautiful or the most sexy, to be the most wealthy
or the most well known.
What is important is that we remember who we are and what makes us as individuals happy
on a daily basis, and if we follow what it is that makes us truly happy and fulfilled as
individuals then hopefully we will find someone who matches our trajectory in life and we
can then move forward optimistically.
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FOR DISCUSSION
1.
Do you think this play is a realistic portrayal of Western society and the direction it is
headed?
2.
Are you satisfied with the direction we seem to be headed?
3.
Which character do you relate with most and why?
4.
Which character evolves the most?
5.
Choose one character to have a conversation with; what would you like to discuss
with them?
6.
What advice would you give any or all of the characters?
7.
List the value or values that each character holds dearest? Whose were closest to
your own?
8.
Do you think the characters are locked in their behaviours or do their lives allow
them to change? Do they want to change?
9.
What are the pros and cons of consumerism? Advertising? Competition? Religion?
Technology? The sexual revolution?
10.
Is the nuclear family disappearing? If so, what are the short and long-term
consequences?
11.
What did you like best about the play? What did you like least?
12.
Did you learn anything? If so, what?
13.
Are you glad you live in today’s society or would you prefer to live an another age?
If so, when?
14.
What do statistics reveal over the last century regarding ratio of marriages that last
compared to those
that end in divorce? What is your rationale for the changes?
15.
What do statistics reveal about the number of households with single parents over
the last 60 years? What do you think are the sociological consequences?
16.
Could you list your top 3 values? What are they?
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