Change

The prospect of change hangs over the narrative from the beginning – specifically, the change from the traditional means of projecting film (i.e. running reels of celluloid film through a machine) to a newer, more advanced means (i.e. running digital images through a computer). There are several facets to this change, depending on the point of view of the various characters, both seen (i.e. Steve the owner-manager of the theatre) and unseen (i.e. Avery, a new employee). For the former, the change in projection methods is a positive: primarily, the shift means economic savings, in terms of costs of shipping / receiving the movies, in terms of potential maintenance of equipment (i.e. the aging traditional machine costs more to repair) and, as the narrative eventually reveals, in terms of staffing costs. This is particularly relevant to the play, in that specialized projectionists like...