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Bus Stop By William Inge

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The visual that a play presents is a dominating factor in the quest to invite an audience member into a world of which they feel a part. In a play such as Bus Stop by William Inge, this is especially important because Grace’s Diner plays a primary role in the storytelling. Inge’s use of the iconic American diner to tell his story is ingenious. Simply setting eyes on the set inevitably evokes pleasant feelings of familiarity and comfort in the minds of most audience members. A diner is a place where people gather; a place where individuals from different backgrounds share a similar experience. Inge crafted his characters meticulously in order to create contrast, conflict, and chemistry that would drive the plot through the forced …show more content…

It would be made of wood with a plastic counter-top. It would feature the meager remains of a chipped-off light-green paint job. I would place 3 quartet tables on stage. One downstage-right, one upstage-center, and one downstage-left, providing a clear path to the main entrance door far stage right. The chairs would not match. There would be two or three different types of chairs dispersed among the 3 tables.
Two “badly-shaded light bulbs” would hang from the ceiling, creating the illusion that they are the only light source, however if this were actually the case, the lighting would prove insufficient for the audience to see the action on stage without straining their eyes. Therefore, most of the light would be generated from the lighting system in the theatre. It is imperative that the contrast between the diner and the harsh weather outside be evident from the start. This can be accomplished by presenting the windows piled with snow on the outside, almost to the top of the windows, as if a snow plow had pushed the snow up against them. The tops of the windows would appear to be covered in frost. This visual would provide a realistic and budget-friendly means of establishing the weather, because it would not be necessary to find technology to create an ongoing blizzard outside. Wind sounds with controllable velocity would contribute heavily to this. The warm-colored lighting in the diner, as well as the

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