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I. GIVEN CIRCUMSTANCES
Tennesee Williams The Glass Menagerie paints a portrait of a family struggling during a
time of great upheaval in America. Williams, with great dramatic authority, crafts a intimate
study of a tense, claustrophobic apartment, the family that inhabits it, and their futile attempts to
find escape from the reality of their stifling, uncertain existence. The brilliance behind this play
is how Williams subtly transforms the plight of the Wingfield clan into a greater statement about
the dehumanizing effects of industrialization, apathy of the American populace, and the death of
the old south. This literary masterpiece would not be as evocative without its faithful recreation
of the 1930s family unit and its ultimate collapse. However, the Wingfields are only as real as

the world they live in and this is where Williams shines. His spot on depiction of the 1930s is
peppered with specific references to political and social circumstances that truly make this play
representative of the Great Depression era.
A. Environmental Facts.
1. Geographical Location- The play is set firmly in St. Louis, Missouri. (Scene 7,Pg 97) The
action takes place in the Wingfeilds apartment, (Scene 4, Pg 40) only accessible through a fire
escape (Scene 5, Pg 48) The apartment is located directly across an alley from the Paradise
Dance Hall. (Scene 5, Pg 48) The weather in the show follows the story arc rather closely. In
the first half of the play the weather is clear, but as the dramatic action begins to rise a
thunderstorm begins to settle over the Wingfeild household. The change in weather indicates a
change in tone that dominates the latter half of the play.

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2. Date- In the opening monologue of the play, Tom sets the play squarely in the 1930s. (Scene
1, Pg 18) Other than this line, we receive no other indication as to the specific year. However,
we can use clues left in the script to place the action in a more specific time frame. In several
instances in the script Tom mentions Guernica, Spain. This refers to the Bombing of Guernica
which took place on April 26, 1937. (times.online.co.uk) Another reference later in the script
states that Laura will turn 24 in June. (Scene 7, Pg 82) It stands to reason that the play takes
place in May of 1937. This would also support the inclement weather observed in the last two
scenes because May is statistically the month with the most precipitation for the St. Louis area.
(climate-zone.com) As far as the specific amount of days the action spans, it is impossible to
gather straight from the script. There is a break between scene 2 and 3 between which and
undisclosed amount of time lapses. This makes any specific choice as to the time span of the
play conjecture, unsupported in the script.
3. Economic Environment- The Glass Menagereie takes place during the Great Depression. And
with the year being 1937, this places the action in the recession of 1937-1938. During this
period, the struggling American economy took an even further turn for the worse. (Yale
University Press) The Wingfield family is resolutely middle class, Tom states this fact in his
opening monologue. (Scene 1, Pg 18) During this time period, the American middle class fell
into poverty. We can see the way that Tom works to support his family and only barely manages
to get by. This is indicative of American society as a whole in this period.
4. Political Environment- The political environment of this play is intrinsically tied to the
economic troubles of the time. The politics of the day were focused on economic stimulus. The
New Deal focused on creating jobs and expanding industry. This factors into the theme of the
show because it is ultimately the dehumanizing nature of industry that drives Tom to seek
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adventure in his life. Another interesting fact is that Tom makes several references to world
politics and the excitement and grandeur of the war overseas. It is a fascinating parallel because
1937 saw the passage of the neutrality acts, a bill that specifically forbade American citizens
participation in or involvement with any nation currently involved in conflict. This isolationism
forces Tom to look to the politics outside of the United States. He references the appointment of
Neville Chamberlain to the position of prime minister of Britain. I feel that this indicates Toms
frustration with the stagnation of American politics, reflecting the general view of the lowermiddle class at the time.
5. Social EnviromentTo begin with, I turn back time. I reverse it to that quaint period,
the thirties. When the huge middle class of America was
matriculating in a school for the blind. Their eyes had failed them,
or they had failed their eyes. And so they were having their fingers
forcibly pressed down on the fiery braille alphabet of a dissolving
economy. In Spain there was revolution. Here there was only
shouting and confusion. In Spain there was Guernica. Here there
were disturbances of labor, sometimes pretty violent, in otherwise
peaceful cities such as Chicago, Cleveland, Saint Louis this is
the social background of the play.
Tom- Scene 1, Pg 18

In the passage above we are given the entire social background in a concise monologue.
I posit that this monologue is in effect the thesis of the play. The play does not stray from this
thesis, and does not expand beyond these social circumstances.
6. Religious Environment- In The Glass Menagerie the religious environment never influences
the plays action. If not for the occasional biblical reference or prayer before dinner one could
read the play and assume the Wingfields were a secular family.

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B. Previous Action
The Glass Menagerie does concern itself quite a bit with the previous actions of its
characters. The key previous action that influences the narrative is the departure of the
Wingfields father. A man in the telephone industry, he fell in love with the allure of travel to
foreign shores. In his opening monologue Tom recounts how one day his father quit his job and
left town. The familys last contact with him was a postcard from Mexico with no return
address. This past action is incredibly important to the play as it dictates the present situation the
family finds itself in. It can be inferred that Mr. Wingfeilds departure was the catalyst for his

familys collapse.

The other paramount previous action is Lauras past relationship with Jim at Soldan High
School. In high school, Laura felt terribly embarrassed by her frequent illness and necessary use
of a corrective leg brace. Yet this didnt stop her from pining for Jim, the most popular boy in
her class throughout high school. This previous action is very important to the plot because it
bears the emotional weight of the show. If this previous action is not made explicitly clear early
in the show, the climax of the play would end up falling short.
C. Polar Attitudes

1. Laura begins the play a shy, meek character, yet she still has a streak of vivacity and
want for life. At the end of the play, we see that vivacity gone. Her rejection by Jim
has irreparably damaged her psyche.
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2. In this play Jim is a static character. In the beginning of scene six we come to know
Jim as a confident, industry motivated man. This does not change. Jim leaves the
Wingfeild house just as he came, perhaps a bit embarrassed from his indiscretion with
Laura.
II. LANGUAGE
In any work by Tennessee Williams, one key identifying feature is his heightened use of
language. The Glass Menagerie is no exception. In this play, as with any of his other works,
Williams uses language to tell his characters stories; furthermore, to hint at their motivations. In
addition to the wealth of subtext, Williams approaches his characters dialogue with a poetic
sensibility. His dialogue pays homage to perhaps the greatest of texts; sweeping monologues
hearkening back to the grand, tragic soliloquies of Shakespearian tradition.
In regards to language, The Glass Menagerie is an incredibly rich play. Specifically, the
way the dialogue, speech patterns, and word choice evolve with the plot. Because this element
of the show is all, but static, it helps the reader to better understand the dramatic arc, the
characters mental processes, and the steadily rising stakes.
The text of The Glass Menagerie also exemplifies another literary hallmark of Williams'the poignant and thematically strong imagery interspersed throughout the work. In this particular
play, seemingly innocuous phrases or images are continuously built upon, philosophized, and
ultimately integrated into a greater thematic meaning. Therefore, broadening the scope of the
play's message. This technique allows Williams to transform this family unit into a model and
allegory for the social mores of the time.
Another key feature of the language of Tennessee William's drama is his meaning
between the dialogues. So much as a simple dash in a line of text contains a wealth of

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information. A small break in dialogue may be an eternity on stage. However, Williams does
have a penchant for verbosity. His stage directions, which he did in fact write himself, are often
multi-paragraph, poetic descriptions of the action. For purposes of this assignment, I have
eschewed the stage directions in favor of working directly from the text. This reveals an
interesting fact about Williams as a writer. His stage directions, however beautifully written, can
in fact be done away with. The text itself is rich enough to support the world of the play.
A. Choice of Words.
In typical Williams fashion, the dialogue in The Glass Menagerie could never be
considered everyday speech. The speech used in this play is taken to a poetic extreme. The use
of this poetic language is paramount to the narrative structure of the piece as a whole. This is
best exemplified in the character Toms soliloquys in the play.
This was compensation for the lives that passed like mine,
without any change or adventure. Adventure and change were
imminent in this year. They were waiting around the corner for all
the kids. Suspended in the mist over Berchtgaden, caught in the
folds of Chamberlains umbrella. In Spain there was Guernica!
But here there was only hot swing music and liquor, dance halls,
bars, and movies, and sex that hung in the gloom like a
chandelier
(Scene 5, Pg 48)

In the quote above, it is evident that the play unabashedly breaks the fourth wall. This
novel narrative framing is evocative of Shakespearian theatre. Just as the prologue of Romeo
and Juliet sets its scene in fair Verona, Toms poetic narration eloquently lays the framework for

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this claustrophobic, tense, St. Louis apartment. The poetry of his words allows this framing
device to rise above clich and set the world of the play.
Williams, throughout the script makes key distinctions between his characters through
their specific use of words. For example, Amanda, a southern belle who reminisces in the
memory of the old south in its prime makes heavy use of colloquialisms picked up in her former
life. In her jonquils monologue (Scene 6, Pg 60) Amanda recounts a story of a bout of malaria
and a former gentlemen caller. The passage is rife with idioms of the south that no longer
exists- governors balls, East Tennessee to the Delta, and her favorite flower jonquils.
These references clearly separate her background from any other character in the play. Jim on
the other hand, a model man of the 20th century driven by the allure of burgeoning industry, uses
words that connote the positive aspects of modernization. Progress, science, and perhaps the
most telling, future, a concept which dominates the characters thoughts, but in Jims dialogue
has a hopeful meaning, a vision beyond The Great Depression and more immediately the
recession of 1937-1938.
Generally the use of language more specifically the structure of the characters dialogue
indicates the education of the people in the play. Toms use of complex sentence structure and
charged thematic imagery exemplify his self-taught interest in literature and foreign shores.
(Scene 1, Pg 16) As stated in the script, (Scene 7, pg 82) Laura reveals that she dropped out of
high school. This is reflected in Lauras dialogue as it comes across as clipped, simple, and

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stilted. Laura directly contrasts Jim in this regard. Jim who is undoubtedly the character with
the most formal education is extremely verbose. While he is only in the last two scenes he
dominates the action just by the sheer long-windedness of his speech. Amanda, however, gives
no direct indication to her level of formal schooling, yet her dialogue gives us volumes of clues
as to her background. Given these clues one can infer that Amandas education was mainly
focused on the social customs and niceties of the old south. Specifically, this is clearest in one
instance in the script. In her questioning of Tom about Jim OConnor (Scene 5, Pg 53) we see
the way the ideals of southern politeness have shaped her way of confronting issues. In this case,
she discusses how her culture dealt with discreet inquiries of character in regards to potential
suitors. This passage spells out plainly how Amandas dialogue is structured. Almost fleeting
away from conflict; making all her accusations in the most innocuous ways she can.
Over the course of the script the use of contractions is fairly isolated. When they are used
it is generally Amanda using them. There is however one passage where the use of contractions
hits a fever pitch. Amanda, shortly after meeting Jim has a monologue where we catch her in
full southern drawl. (Scene 6, Pg 68) In this monologue, her careful speech pattern is
abandoned and we see her in a moment of gaiety and joy, thrilled to finally entertain a guest and
more importantly a gentlemen caller. Yet it is only in this instance does any character drop their
use of Standard American English grammar.
Ultimately, the use of language in this play is to fully flesh out these characters and their
mental state. To elaborate, the character of Amanda has a very clear arc over the course of the
script. She chooses her words carefully and as an audience member we begin to see her as a
tragic character, a product of her time. She makes slight remarks about race -You be the lady
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this time and Ill be the darky. (Scene 1, Pg 20) To stereotyping the Irish as drunkards. (Scene
5, Pg 53) These clue the reader into her cultural roots. The word choice also fleshes out the
steadily rising stakes. In the first half of the play, (Scene 2, Pg 30) Amanda makes the
distinction that Laura should never call herself a cripple. Yet after all is said and done and
Lauras chance at being a socially acceptable lady is dashed we begin to truly see Amanda for
who she is as she calls Laura a cripple. This change in word choice completes Amandas
character arc. We can finally see her clearly as a desperate woman, clinging to any hope of
stability in the uncertain world of The Great Depression.
B. Imagery
It is interesting to note, in the original stage directions for the play, Williams introduced a
concept for projections that ran throughout the show. They displayed the imagery of the text in a
literal sense. While this staging convention is a fascinating idea, I feel that it would end up
robbing the script of its ethereal quality. However, the thought behind the concept is a real
concern with the script itself. In a show so rife with rich imagery, how do you make the
thematically important stand out amongst the rest? In my analysis of the script, I came to
understand that The Glass Menagerie can be distilled down to two images that cut right to the
narrative and thematic heart of the text. Respectively, they are the images of blue roses and
the gentlemen callers.
The image of blue roses is significant as it comes to represent Laura, herself. Because the
axis of this play revolves around Laura, this image becomes quite the appropriate synonym for
her character. Originally derived from a misunderstanding about a childhood case of pleurosis,
blue roses became her nickname in high school. At the time this play was written (app. 1943)
the idea of a blue rose was unheard of. As early as the 12th century blue roses have come to

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symbolize impossibility. Today they can be created in a lab or through dyes, but they do not exist
in nature. So taken out of modern context, the meaning behind the image is that Laura, however
beautiful, compassionate, or honest she is- there still remains the fact that she is inexplicably
separate from other women. (Scene 7, Pg 89) Whether it is her shy nature, or just her lack of
interest in worldly things it makes her unattainable, untouchable, a blue rose.
The image of the gentleman caller is another image integral to the theme of the show,
Amanda revels in her glory days when seventeen gentlemen callers were at her beck and call.
(Scene 3, Pg 31) This image becomes representative of the south that died with The Great
Depression; a direct contrast to the advent of new industry, which in fact had already started to
permeate the American South as early as 1933 with the New Deal. The irony is palpable in text.
Amanda, who praises industrialization as the way of the future fails to realize that it was the very
principle that paved over her cherished memories as a girl.
Overall, I feel that the images of the show are of a societal nature. These can be clearly
seen in Jims pontification of new industry (Scene 7, Pg 84) as well as Toms soliloquys through
the script, but particularly the one that prefaces scene 5. (Scene 5, Pg 48)
While imagery is heavily employed by most characters in the show, Laura is the only one
who refrains from using any particularly rich imagery. I feel that this is because Laura through
the play becomes an image in her own right. Towards the end of the play she behaves in an
almost ethereal manner- present, but vacant.
As far peculiar characteristics are concerned, this script fairly straight forward. Other
than the heightened language, colloquialisms in regards to Amandas speech, and the verbosity
of the stage directions the play really doesnt betray its subtle, quiet nature. However, it is
important to note that the punctuation is of the utmost importance. Williamss dialogue has a

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natural rhythm; it is clearly marked by his use of punctuation. Generally, he uses dashes to
indicate the places where a break needs to happen- A moment onstage to let the dialogue soak in
and take focus. Yet other than that simple key fact, the script has few strange characteristics
other than Tennessee Williams literary hallmarks as were discussed previously.

IV. CHARACTERS

Laura
The character Laura in The Glass Menagerie is an interesting figure to research. She is
resolutely a passive character in the script, yet she is the main focus of the plays narrative heart.
Laura instigates so little action within the plot, but she is the axis that the plot revolves around.
This is particularly tragic because within the context of the play this is completely at odds with
what she wants.
A. Want
Laura can be interpreted to have a rather conflicted set of wants. Her shyness is a
common thread throughout all her interaction. If taken at base value one could infer that all she
wants is to withdraw, to be a wallflower. However, I feel that this interpretation ignores human
nature. Even though Laura is written as pure and innocent we see a modicum of desire and selfreliance through her actions. In scene 2, page 27, Laura details what she was doing while hiding
from her business college classes. She willfully kept a secret and did what she wanted to do. In
the climactic scene with Jim we see her break out of her shell and actually attempt to court the
man who she has pined for all her life. In my view, I believe Laura wants more than anything
else to be normal for once in her life. Because in her eyes, Blue isnt right for- roses.
(Scene 7, Pg 89)
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B. Will
As far as Lauras will is concerned, it is incredibly weak. Again, her shy nature works
against her because she cant manage much more than a small act of rebellion at the age of 24,
e.g. dropping out business school. Instead of making a stand, she allows Amanda to dictate the
plans for her future.
C. Moral Stance
Morally, Laura is undoubtedly the strongest character in the play. I think this comes
from a place inside herself as opposed to her upbringing. Laura has an inherent moral and
ethical spirit with an abundance of compassion. Honestly, I do not feel that Laura could
mentally handle knowingly committing wrong against someone. I believe the guilt would be far
too much for her. Because ultimately, the means would never justify the ends in Lauras view.
D. Physical Appearance
In the script, physical descriptions are mainly given in the stage directions. However
there are a few scattered textual clues as to the appearance of Laura. We know her age from a
specific reference turning 24 in June, firmly placing her at 23 years old. While we are not given
a detailed description, we can infer that she would be slender as supported by Amanda remarking
about her flat chest and forcing her to wear gay deceivers to enhance her bust.
(Scene 6, Pg 59)
Another key hint to her physical appearance is the other characters use of the word
crippled. (Scene 5, Pg 55) This leads me to believe that due to the difficulty of movement for
her that she would not have much toned muscle, if any at all. Despite these less than flattering
descriptions, Jim does describe her as uniquely pretty. (Scene 7, Pg 89-90) This raises the
question as to whether her mother judges her more harshly than society would. Taking what is

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known about Amanda into account, this is not a large leap in logic, and leads me to the
conclusion that Laura is rather pretty, despite her flaws.
As for her behavior within the context of the show, I feel that it can be summed up as
stilted. This influences all of her traits in some regard. Her natural gait would be awkward as a
result of her handicap, and her stance meek and unimposing. Her speech patterns would also be
keenly described as meek and soft. Perhaps her speech is barely more audible than a whisper. It
is important to note that all of these traits stem from her mental insecurity. In analyzing my
featured scene I see a clear point in the script where she breaks from her typical clipped
responses and starts joking, genuinely enjoying herself. This however is only fleeting; not
shortly after we see Laura more broken than before, rendered to complete speechlessness after
Jims revelations.
E. Summary Adjectives
a) Want- Normality, regularity.
b) Will- Feeble, powerless, anemic, supine
c) Moral Stance- Pious, faint-hearted, compassionate
d) Physical Appearance- Enigmatic, alternative, sickly

Jim
The character Jim is the odd character out in this piece. His demeanor, outlook, and
prospects are significantly brighter than those of the Wingfield clan. Yet, he is in essence a
glorified plot device and stays a fairly static character in the two scenes he appears in the script.
A. Want
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It might be considered difficult to assign a particular want to the character of Jim. His
role in the play doesnt allow the audience to know him as intimately as we have gotten to know
the rest of the characters. However his role in the narrative, dialogue, and interests point toward
a specific conclusion. If his role in the play is to act as a foil to Tom, as well as the final straw
for the Wingfeild family we can infer that his want would be in opposition to Toms. If I were to
make an educated guess, I feel that Jim wants more than anything else to be a pioneer of the
bourgeoning industry of the time.
B. Will
Jim in direct contrast to Laura has an incredibly strong will. More so than any other
character in the script, Jim sees the value in self-improvement. Jim attends classes in public
speaking and radio engineering; he pursues a better life for himself and seems unshakeable in his
optimism. His is the kind of will that will not compromise. Jim has a clear vision for his future
and will not be stopped in his pursuit of self-betterment.
C. Moral Stance
Jim has a strange moral ambiguity in the context of this show. He comes across in his
dialogue as a morally upstanding young man, but his action speaks otherwise. As a person, Jim
is most likely an upstanding man- dedicated, hard-working, and loyal. I dont believe that he
would sink to any low to get what he wants. Yet he does trigger Lauras emotional breakdown at
in the last few scenes of the show. However, I dont see this as a moral lapse of the character,
but instead I think it is indicative of his youth and a rash decision in the moment. Because even
as he realizes that he breaks Lauras dreams he tries to do so in a delicate manner (Scene 7, Pg
91)

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D. Physical Appearance
Jims physical appearance is comparatively well described in comparison to the other
characters in the show. Directly quoted from the script Jim is 23 years old. (Scene 7, Pg 82)
He is of full Irish descent. (Scene 5, Pg 53) He is also described as Not too good
lookingcovered with freckles, and without much of a nose. (Scene 5, Pg54) His behavior is
best described as incredibly garrulous as evidenced by his verbose, pontificating monologues
(Scene 7, Pg 89-90)
The only other outright description of him in the text is in Toms monologue that
prefaces Scene 6 (Pg. 57) In this monologue Tom describes Jim with the scrubbed and polished
look of white chinaware. This indicates to me that Jim takes much pride in his appearance
which would make quite a bit of sense in regards to his penchant for self-improvement.
While the play does not contain any textual examples of Jims movement style we do
know that Jim was an athlete (among many other things) in high school. (Scene 7, Pg 56) It can
be inferred that Jim is a rather large man. This is supported by his gregarious demeanor in the
play. One could infer that he is rather lumbering and perhaps a bit clumsy as he does manage to
break Lauras prized glass unicorn while dancing. (Scene 7, Pg 88) As for his voice, he is
described throughout the play as a very skilled singer, so one could assume his voice to be very
pleasing to listen to.
E. Summary Adjectives
a) Want- Innovative
b) Will- Tenacious, stable, enduring
c) Moral Stance- Rash, apologetic, loyal,
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d) Physical Appearance- Homely, middling, large

V. PLAYWRIGHTS INTENTION or IDEA


A. The Title
The Glass Menagerie takes its title from what Laura has come to call her collection of
glass animal figurines. I believe that Williams chose this title to imply a double meaning. Each
member of the Wingfeild household has their own insecurities, fears, and distractions. Like the
animals in Lauras glass menagerie these people are fragile. Trapped and confined to the
claustrophobic apartment they share by the economic and social pressures of their time
B. Philosophical Statements in the Play.
This was compensation for the lives that passed like mine,
without any change or adventure. Adventure and change were
imminent in this year. They were waiting around the corner for all
the kids.
In this quote from the play, Tom philosophizes about how the current social focus on
industry and money has left middle-class America dissatisfied with life. Society has effectively
made it a social stigma to pursue individual dreams and aspirations. Theyre trapped by social
pressure to buy into the new American dream, one of industry, one of extreme responsibility.
These people are waiting for an absolution, a change in their lives that would allow them to
pursue their dreams. I feel that this hits at the thematic heart of the play because all of these
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characters want something more fulfilling than their shabby Saint Louis apartment, but are so
immobilized by what society and even their other family members expect of them.
C. The Basic Action of the Play
The Glass Menagerie is about the disintegration of a family as its members struggle to
find fulfillment and happiness in the midst of The Great Depression.
D. The Scene
The scene I have chosen to feature is the emotional climax of the play. Narratively, it is a
turning point for all of the characters. Laura is emotionally devastated after having everything
that she wanted for a fleeting second only to have it taken away from her. Lauras devastation
and Amandas subsequent accusations cause a change in Tom, who realizes that there is no
possibility for happiness in his current life- so he leaves. His battle the entire play was to try and
escape without hurting his family, but he finally sees that its not possible. We are all bound by
social responsibility, Toms only option to escape was to remove himself from the society that
bound him.

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VI. GROUNDPLAN
1. I believe that my ground-plan does give my actors quite a bit of obstacles to work
with; specifically, I wanted to reinforce the claustrophobic nature of the space so I purposefully
used large furniture to cut the negative space.
2. While I do think my playing areas are small, I think they are effective in letting my
actors work in them. Also, because I have tightly focused my acting areas, I feel that it gives me
a stronger framework for creating images.
3. I think the tension in the ground plan comes from the symmetric balance of my walls
and open mirror in contrast to the asymmetry of furniture placement.
4. Yes, my corners are tied down sufficiently I believe.

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