Oleanna play review
...’s actions may be misinterpreted as sexual harassment, and his punishment is not fictional; what happens to him could easily happen in real life. But by introducing this to the audience, the play suggests that we should question our own opinion of what sexual harassment exactly is. To what degree is objective important, and to what degree is the offense in the eye of the beholder? The guiding metaphor that I see for this play is that one should always watch themselves as to not offend anyone or construe sexual harassment in anyway. John and Carol are alone in his office, nobody can see them and they cannot see anyone else. The door is closed, which is a mistake for John in the first place. The office gives a sort of confined feeling, like there is nobody relatively close to the two so nobody can help John against the charges. The play likely takes place in a 1990s university in the instructor’s office, although no indication of the date is given. It is likely late spring, as Carol lists events that occurred in class in April and speaks of having been in John's class for two semesters. Where the college is located makes no difference as far as the set or costumes because the play takes place in only one room. The room that it takes place in is an instructor’s office. I envision that this office would contain a desk centered stage right on a wall with a bookshelf behind it. There are a couple extra chairs in the center of the office so students can come and sit down to talk. The chairs are positioned facing both the audience and the desk. A computer and phone sit on the instructor’s desk, as a large leather chair sits behind the desk. A painting is on the wall along with a poster with a picture of Albert Einstein. Many old books line the bookshelf and a pencil holder and stapler sit side by side on one shelf. A couple framed pictures sit near the computer containing pictures of John and his wife. A stack of ungraded papers also reside on the desk. The door is upstage and stage left. The set does not need to change throughout the whole play as all the action takes place in this room. John is wearing dark slacks and a button-up blue shirt with a tie in the first scene. He appears to be a well-established man, a good dresser. He is confident and tries to have the audience side with him. In this first scene Carol is wearing an outfit that portrays her as an innocent, nice girl. She is wearing a knee-length pink skirt with a white blouse. She is wearing no earrings and little makeup. Her clothes give off the impression that she is somebody who would normally do well in school, which would help lead John into thinking she is a smart, capable girl. In the second scene, John is wearing the same sort of outfit; dark slacks, button-up shirt, but this time with a sweater-vest on, hair combed. Carol’s outfit is a little less dressy. She wears jeans this time and a purple sweater. At this point in the play she has filed a complaint. The pants help symbolize that she is a woman who should not be taken lightly. She is not some dainty woman in a dress who will let a man harass her. In the final scene, John is wearing khaki pants and a polo shirt. He appears to be less confident and more run-down. His life has started to fall apart and it can be seen by the fact that his shirt is only halfway tuc...