Charity Play Summary

The play Charity will have an elaborate set. The scene is set in a brightly lit, flashy hotel lobby. A large, crystal chandelier hangs in the center of the lobby where Merlene Odums, her two children, and Clay stand on top of a red carpet. The same red carpet has giant Bellagio logo imprinted into it to show off the hotel’s prestigious brand. Tall walls with renaissance like designs on them envelope the space and there is a glass door that shows the Vegas night with its flashy signs. The front desk of the lobby is in the background of the scene where a couple concierges stand behind. In the distance, there is a slot machine flashing for attention. The reason for this type of scene is that Vegas is famous for its over the top decor and flashing lights. For the scene to be accurate of a

For instance, the lavish hotel lobby would make the poorly dressed Odums stand out like a sore thumb, especially when they stand next to Clay. Moreover, the lighting keeps the focus on the Odums, which is implicitly critical to the play. Quite frequently the poor are left in the dark and out of the focus of the main audience – a side story. However, the lights would stay focused on the Odums throughout the play, which will force the audience to see and learn about the Odums. Because the audience’s focus remains on the Odums throughout the piece because of the lighting, coupled with the differences in costumes, the tragic situation of the Odums is in plain view of the audience. Once their tragic situation is in plain view, the audience can understand that Clay’s welcoming is not enough. Therefore, the central conflict of the play – the Odums’ need to find a stable shelter – would be supported because all design choices point to the economic disparity between the Odums and Clay (who is representative of the flashy, affluent Las