Ludlow Fair Script Analysis PDF

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Justine Schaefer Script Analysis – Ludlow Fair Classification: a witty, realistic one-act Style: naturalism; the characters actions and speech are realistic, portrays life truthfully without extravagance Structure: one-act Theme: This play is about two very different women, each one dealing with their own vastly different problems with themselves and the world around them. This play deals with the issues of self-worth, relationships (both romantic and platonic), and loneliness. The action of the play begins with Rachel hysterically talking to herself and trying to do word association because she thinks she’s going crazy; it ends with Agnes talking to herself in the mirror, revealing her sadness and loneliness. the central characters are different in the end because it is revealed that Agnes isn’t the wise-cracking, no-nonsense roommate we think she is; she’s actually the one who is struggling the most with trying to keep everything together. The title “Ludlow Fair” is based on a poem called “Terrence, this is stupid stuff” by A. E. Houseman. I think Lanford Wilson wanted to make people think about the way we view ourselves and the way others view us; Rachel views Agnes as strong and witty, when in reality her wit is a tool used to cover up how sad she really is, while Agnes views Rachel as silly and superficial, when in reality Rachel uses men to feel better about herself. Cultural Binding: Written in the 1960’s, this play is written in a very natural style, meaning that it could be set in any modern era because the characters are meant to talk like real people do. Agnes puts her hair in rollers before bed, which isn’t very common today; mostly women use curling irons in the morning. I think this play could still be set in modern times because the language and setting are very natural. Production History: Ludlow Fair was one of the first plays published by Lanford Wilson, and was more of an “experimental one-act” than anything taken seriously. It was first seen in bohemian, downtown dens such as Café Cino and Café LaMaMa in Manhattan in the sixties. It is not one of Wilson’s best known plays, but it has found success as an oft-directed play for college students or small playhouses. World of the play: At first, it seems that Rachel is the leading lady, the one that everything happens to, who Agnes has to console and talk sense into, but at the end of the play, Agnes has a very poignant moment where she is revealed to have a longing to be loved the way she is....