The production of the Grapes of Wrath was an example of presentational theater. In this kind of theater, the actors involve the audience in the actual performance by addressing them and allowing partial participation in the production. Not only did the audience watch the production and applaud the different developments of the production but also called on the audience to participate at different intervals. An example is when the performers would ask the audience questions and call on the audience to interact with the audience.
The central conflict in the production is the struggle between the workers and the upper class. The upper class is attempting to control the country’s resources through the control of the economy. The resulting effect is that the working class loses their way of living that includes their
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The conflict does not end because the fight for the people’s proper treatment is still on and lower class people continue to suffer in the hands of the upper class. This fact is further symbolized by the floating of the baby downstream to symbolize the liberation of the people that is similar to biblical Moses. John surrenders the baby’s body as a message to deliver the message of the sufferings of the people (Steinbeck).
The University Of Illinois Department Of Theater chose to produce the grapes of wrath to show the disparities in social classes in the country. Observably, the production set to outline the sufferings of the working class in the hands of the employers; a case of inhumane treatment to fellow humans. An example is when the Toad and other workers have to work for a small wage to feed their families while the landowners suppress them and want them to remain poor. This is an evident case of the difference in social classes and the problems of immigration present in the