Where and When Are We?
It's often useful to spend some time discussing just WHEN and WHERE we are in the world of the play, using clues offered by the playwright.
It's often useful to spend some time discussing just WHEN and WHERE we are in the world of the play, using clues offered by the playwright.
Let's start with when!
Let's start with when!
The play begins with Maura receiving a text on her clamshell phone, and texting back, painfully slowly...
The play begins with Maura receiving a text on her clamshell phone, and texting back, painfully slowly...
There is a case to be made that it is contemporary
The presence of the clamshell phone and the T9 predictive texting puts us in the pre-smartphone era. The iPhone was released in 2007, playing catchup to the popular Blackberry and ahead of the Android phone, but in the early oughts a flip phone or a "dumb phone" was most common. The T9 texting (see article to the left) suggests the era as well. There is a chance that Maura is a hipster with an old school phone (they exist today) but since the playwright was writing about their experience in high school, we could confidently place the play in the early 2000s.
The presence of the clamshell phone and the T9 predictive texting puts us in the pre-smartphone era. The iPhone was released in 2007, playing catchup to the popular Blackberry and ahead of the Android phone, but in the early oughts a flip phone or a "dumb phone" was most common. The T9 texting (see article to the left) suggests the era as well. There is a chance that Maura is a hipster with an old school phone (they exist today) but since the playwright was writing about their experience in high school, we could confidently place the play in the early 2000s.
In addition, the music that is referenced in the stage directions - Neutral Milk Hotel, Forrest City Lovers, and Wilco - all place us in the very late 1990s up until 2010, or thereabouts. Of course, people often listen to older music, so this doesn't mean a lot, but again, in terms of nostalgia, this likely speaks to the playwright's youth in New England.
In addition, the music that is referenced in the stage directions - Neutral Milk Hotel, Forrest City Lovers, and Wilco - all place us in the very late 1990s up until 2010, or thereabouts. Of course, people often listen to older music, so this doesn't mean a lot, but again, in terms of nostalgia, this likely speaks to the playwright's youth in New England.
It is of course possible that this is intended to be contemporary, and the clamshell phone and older music are just retro hipster items. Based on the design, however, and much of the in-production discourse relating to the gender pronouns of the characters, we can safely place this in a contemporary setting, with the acknowledgement that much of the tech and references are old school.
It is of course possible that this is intended to be contemporary, and the clamshell phone and older music are just retro hipster items. Based on the design, however, and much of the in-production discourse relating to the gender pronouns of the characters, we can safely place this in a contemporary setting, with the acknowledgement that much of the tech and references are old school.
ANSWER:
ANSWER:
Okay, so what about WHERE? Right off the top it's clear that we are in New England, which is where the playwright grew up.
Okay, so what about WHERE? Right off the top it's clear that we are in New England, which is where the playwright grew up.
Fine, but New England is pretty vague, made up of six different states. There are regular references to Boston, but people from Maine and Vermont travel to Boston all the time, so it's not necessarily Massachusetts.
Fine, but New England is pretty vague, made up of six different states. There are regular references to Boston, but people from Maine and Vermont travel to Boston all the time, so it's not necessarily Massachusetts.
What about specific references?
What about specific references?
p. 1
We see here a reference to Shady Hill Road, which is a relatively common street name in MA, including one in Weston and one in Newton, both suburbs of Boston, but certainly not hours away. There is also a Shady Hill road in New Hampshire and Connecticut, so this seems to be a fairly common New England street name. That doesn't narrow down much.
We see here a reference to Shady Hill Road, which is a relatively common street name in MA, including one in Weston and one in Newton, both suburbs of Boston, but certainly not hours away. There is also a Shady Hill road in New Hampshire and Connecticut, so this seems to be a fairly common New England street name. That doesn't narrow down much.
p. 6
Anna talks about "three hours drive" - unless this means 90 minutes to Boston, three hours round trip. Remember when Anna is going to pick up Jack from the airport, she is setting out to get them but surely this isn't a three hour drive? So perhaps we are in a rural town just on the outskirts of the Boston suburbs. It would have to be close enough to justify Jack staying there as they prepared for their interview. But wait...
Anna talks about "three hours drive" - unless this means 90 minutes to Boston, three hours round trip. Remember when Anna is going to pick up Jack from the airport, she is setting out to get them but surely this isn't a three hour drive? So perhaps we are in a rural town just on the outskirts of the Boston suburbs. It would have to be close enough to justify Jack staying there as they prepared for their interview. But wait...
We know we're in a rural area, because, well, that's the play. Lots of rural references and long drives between places. This reference to Chez Sylvan's was also a bust: it doesn't exist anymore, if it's based on a real place. Same with the other places: Bendo's Art Supply and The Coffee Shop: we can't track those down either.
We know we're in a rural area, because, well, that's the play. Lots of rural references and long drives between places. This reference to Chez Sylvan's was also a bust: it doesn't exist anymore, if it's based on a real place. Same with the other places: Bendo's Art Supply and The Coffee Shop: we can't track those down either.
p. 2
p. 46
p. 6
Finally, we have this reference to the open mic night in "Chesterville": as Wikipedia helpfully tells us, there is a Chesterville in IN, WV, MD, OH, TX, ME, Ontario, Quebec, and KwaZulu-Natal (!) but none in Massachusetts.
Finally, we have this reference to the open mic night in "Chesterville": as Wikipedia helpfully tells us, there is a Chesterville in IN, WV, MD, OH, TX, ME, Ontario, Quebec, and KwaZulu-Natal (!) but none in Massachusetts.
So, with our New England connection, we assume we are talking about Chesterville, ME, which happens to be (woo hoo!) three hours from Boston.
So, with our New England connection, we assume we are talking about Chesterville, ME, which happens to be (woo hoo!) three hours from Boston.
If this is indeed the same Chesterville (close enough to go to for an open mic) then we are much more likely in rural Maine than Massachusetts, and the street naming is either fictional and designed to evoke a standard New England, or is from a place so small it's not on Google Earth.
If this is indeed the same Chesterville (close enough to go to for an open mic) then we are much more likely in rural Maine than Massachusetts, and the street naming is either fictional and designed to evoke a standard New England, or is from a place so small it's not on Google Earth.
p. 50
One last clue: Pete wants to go hiking on "Backwater Mountain". Which would be fine if it... existed? As far as we can tell, it doesn't, which helps us in our quest very much. Fictional mountain means fictional world. Hat tip to you, fine playwright.
One last clue: Pete wants to go hiking on "Backwater Mountain". Which would be fine if it... existed? As far as we can tell, it doesn't, which helps us in our quest very much. Fictional mountain means fictional world. Hat tip to you, fine playwright.
ANSWER:
ANSWER:
We're in New England, that's for sure. It's not specific or clear about where, and that's obviously on purpose. The haziness around place means that the specifics don't matter much. What matters is that nothing much happens there.
We're in New England, that's for sure. It's not specific or clear about where, and that's obviously on purpose. The haziness around place means that the specifics don't matter much. What matters is that nothing much happens there.
Investigation closed.
Investigation closed.