Actors are made to look like famous film stars Marlon Brando, Paul Henreid, Montgomery Clift, Jean Peters, Bette Davis, and Shelley Winters.
The show begins with an image of the Columbia Pictures Lady drenched in a bright light.
The Columbia Pictures Lady sets the scene and talks about suicidal thoughts, loneliness, and marital troubles (all recurring throughout).
The Scene switches to Bette Davis and Paul Henreid on the deck of a liner from Now, Voyager.
Bette takes on the thoughts of Clara and expresses her concerns about dying from blood loss in childbirth, as her mother had.
Clara's Mother comes into the picture and explains the difference of living between the blacks and whites in their town.
Whites had sidewalks with paved roads, nice bathrooms and water fountains.
In scene two, the lights come up on Clara's entrance into her brother's hospital room and Viva Zapata!.
Jean Peters recites more from her play, wishing that she could fly away like the Owl to God.
In the final scene, it is a flashback where Shelley Winters and Montgomery Clift are rowing in a small boat from the set of A Place in the Sun.
Kennedy then notes that Clift continues to grow; she says that all three male movie stars are to be mute.
Jean Peters reads a segment of writing that talks about a bad fight between her mother and father.
Jean Peters tells the story of Wally who dropped out of school to be in the army.
Director: Joseph Chaikin Lights: Beverly Emmons Costumes: Kate Carmel Music: Peter Golub The play portrays many meta themes.
A masculine plot structure refers to a story with and intro, a conflict, a climax, a solution and a resolve.
The alienation of African Americans in society as well as Hollywood becomes evident as we travel through Clara's memories.
[4] -A Place in the Sun connects to the fear of drowning, a pregnant working class girl, as well as the idea of a caged bird, seen as the Owl in this play.
[4] Characters from Clara's real life are only seen as supporting roles, such as her father, mother, husband, and brother.
White film actors are cast as Clara's family members to portray the American Ideal.
When white people are faced with the problems of African Americans, it become even more obvious of the exclusion and racism in our country.
She never looked to glamorize her experience as an educated black woman, but rather to make others understand how society and her mind influenced her as a writer.
This play attempts to explain how a black woman exists in a white society which is in a subordinate role.
[7] Kennedy was a fearless writer by using her own experience to expose the pain and suffering society has created for black women.