Point of View

Not Applicable - Play Format

Setting

The entire play takes place John's office at the university, over a course of three meetings. Very little description is given of the office, except that John has a large desk covered with stacks of papers, a telephone, and a bookshelf where he keeps a copy of his book. Mamet rarely gives physical descriptions of settings or characters so that directors can interpret the words to suit many different situations. How might the message of the play differ if John worked in a tiny cubicle office without windows versus a vast corner office with marble ceilings overlooking the sea? In a way, physical descriptions of the office shouldn't matter: Carol's manipulation and the broken-down communication between them shouldn't be affected by outside facts. The heard of Oleanna is found in the humanity of it, regardless of socio-economic backgrounds, race, or...