BEFORE THE SHOW
- What do you see onstage? How might the director use what’s onstage to shape the world of the play? What questions do you have about the appearance of the stage or any of the objects you can see?
- Think of someone you’ve known a long time. How has your relationship changed over time? What qualities, ideas, or activities do you share that connect you? Have those changed? Is there someone you are no longer close to because of a change in shared qualities, ideas, or activities?
- Think of a book, show, or movie in which a character reveals a secret or personal story about themselves to another person. Describe the context in which the information was shared. What motivated the character to divulge this information? How did the revelation of this story or secret affect the characters’ relationship?
- Have you ever decided to share something about yourself that few people know with a new person? Describe the feeling – emotionally, physically, or mentally – of keepingsomething secret or private. How did your feelings change after you shared with the new person?
AFTER THE SHOW
- If you had to pick one character in the play to give advice to, who would it be, and what would you tell them?
- Which parts of the play were “the truth” and which were “made up”? How do you know?
- What is the nature of reality in this play?
- Does privilege play into Ana’s arc of experience and fantasy? If so, how?
Alternate Post-Show Questions
- Did the director use the space in the way that you anticipated? Were there any parts of the design that surprised you?
- Did you end up rooting for the characters that you thought you would? Were you surprised by your feelings toward any of the characters in the play?
- Does the idea of being a savior play into Ana’s story? If so, who is who’s savior in this story, how, and when? Who needs saving?
- Does vulnerability play into Ana’s relationship dynamics? If yes, how so?
- Does this play present tactics for hurt or traumatized people to cope, or to safely express intimacy? If yes, what are those tactics, and are they successful in this story?
- What, if anything, does a writer owe to the people off of whom they are basing their stories?