Knowing the time period in which a piece of drama was created can indicate patterns and forms or help to predict common themes. Knowing the historical context is very important for any scholastic reader. Knowing the context not only makes it more enjoyable, but also helps connect and relate to what the author wants. “In great writing from the past, we find ancestors, and we not only see the country and the people as they were, but we also soak up the climate of the times through the language, characters, tones and settings” (Kirk). As an example, knowing the time period helps the reader understand why the themes of politics and AIDS are the basis of Angels in America. Angels in America would not have been so wildly popular (plus controversial) if it was not written during The Reagan Era and the start of the realization of the AIDS epidemic. “The author writes only what he or she has learnt from that particular …show more content…
Greek theater involved very few people, on stage in general, which meant that everyone had to play multiple parts this is very similar to Angels in America, but Kushner did this for a purpose other than tradition. Kushner 's doubling requires some actors to play the opposite sex and certain major and minor characters are angels or ghosts. The historical period has an immense overall impact on various facets of drama production. One reason this is the case is because older plays did not have the extensive props, visual, and auditory effects that modern plays do. Greek drama was much more formal in its diction; including more soliloquies and actions done off-stage or implied to have happened this is the case for Oedipus Rex. With Angels in America, any action the author want can happen onstage for the audience to see and not just heard from