Post-Show Activity: Discussion Questions

Various elements of Making Gay History: Before Stonewall pose powerful questions for the audience to consider. As such, the students may have a number of questions about the production (beyond those they addressed to the cast after seeing the show) and it may be worthwhile to allow them a space to talk about these lingering questions.

Some questions you might consider exploring are:

• What does Making Gay History: Before Stonewall tell us about life in the mid-1900s? What can it tell us about contemporary life?
• Compare the relationships represented in the play. What are the differences? What are the similarities?
• Identify a main character from the play and compare their state of mind at the beginning of the play to how they think and feel at the end of the play. What has changed? Why?
• If any of the characters in the play was born today, how might their life be different?
• If you took the place of one of the characters in the play, would you behave the same way that she or he did or might you act differently? Why?
• What other plays, stories, movies, or television shows did this play remind you of? Why?
• What do you think we can learn from a play like Making Gay History: Before Stonewall ?
• What do you think Making Gay History: Before Stonewall says about stereotypes? Why?

Production Related Questions:

• Why do you think the creative team made the choices they did?
• If you were directing the show, how would you choose to enhance the themes of the play?
• What were the most effective parts of the piece for you? Why?
• What were the least effective parts of the piece for you? Why?
• How do you think the costume/lights/set/sound designers allocated the budget for the show?
• Where do you think the costume/lights/set/sound designers drew inspiration from?

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