Use the questions below to spark conversation before, during, and after Trouble In Mind.
Jump to:
- Consider the last few months in your life. Think about the wonderful experiences that brought you joy, and the lows that did not make you feel so great. Just like life, plays can have humorous moments while making a greater point. Plays like this are called comedy dramas or dramatic comedies, and advertising for the original production of Trouble in Mind billed it as “an exciting new comedy drama.” Based on how you feel right now, would you bill your life as a comedy drama or dramatic comedy?
- Feeling like you belong is a natural human desire. What does it mean to "belong"? What signifies to you that you belong or don't belong somewhere? Why?
- Do you think Manners is going to like Wiletta’s acting in Act Two? Why or why not?
- What do you think John means by “Oh, I’m learning the ropes”?
- In an interview, lighting designer Kathy A. Perkins said, “My job is to support the work of the playwright. I'm not an ostentatious designer. My work is very subtle, and I find it very interesting, because when friends leave the theatre [they say], "I really didn't notice the lighting." What did you notice about the lighting in Act One? How did it support the work of telling the story?
- Where do you see the characters experiencing (or not) self acceptance? Personally, what does that mean to you?
- Intersectionality is defined by Merriam-Webster as “the complex, cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination (such as racism, sexism, and classism) combine, overlap, or intersect especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups.” In what ways did you see intersectionality in the play’s characters and/or story?
- Think about the character of Henry. As an Irish-American, he struggled to find a place to belong with the different cultural groups in the show. How do Henry and Wiletta find common ground? In what ways have you been able to relate to others who were not necessarily from the same cultural background as you?
- What influences your decision to stay or leave a job or a situation?