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In the first
scene of When You Comin Back, Red Ryder?, Stephen appears to
be an inconsiderate, sarcastic person.
When his coworker Angel shows up six minutes late he
complains, "This is really the kinda dump I'm goin to hang
around in my spare time, ain't it?"
Stephen also shows sarcasm in his remark, "You're gonna
tell me the point though, right? Hold it--lemme get a pencil." Angel, by contrast, seems like an honest and considerate
person. She abides by
the rules of the restaurant. When
Stephen uses a paper cup, she reminds him if he doesn't use a glass
he needs to pay fifteen cents.
With these
observations in mind, I chose costumes for the characters. I picture Stephen as a greaser. He reminded me of John Travolta in the movie Grease. He has his black leather jacket draped over the back of his
chair. His worn out jeans have holes in the knees and the corners of
the pockets. He has on
a black tee shirt that
is thin and fading, and it fits tightly.
He has a pack of cigarettes rolled up in his sleeve.
He is wearing a belt with a worn silver buckle.
The leather on the belt is starting to crack.
He carries his wallet in his right back pocket.
It is attached by a chain to his front belt loop. The pocket
is worn out in the shape of the wallet.
He has big black work boots with steel toes.
He looks like he has a rough life--some lines around his
mouth from cigarette smoking. His
hair is greased back, and he has a tan.
Angel is wearing lighter colors, fitting her more pleasant attitude. She has a peach uniform with a blue apron. It has short sleeves and buttons up the front. It comes to her mid calf. She wears short white socks and comfortable white shoes. She has long straight blonde hair in a pony tail, which is fitting for a waitress. She has a shy smile. She wears a name tag with stickers and pins she has earned for her hard work and positive attitude. Her hands are a little rough from washing dishes and she has a burn on her arm from holding hot plates.
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Essay
#2 by Mike
Ferguson
If I were
designing the setting for this scene from When You Comin Back,
Red Ryder?, I would make it an old train station diner on the
outskirts of town. According
to the script, it's early in the morning, even before the sun comes
up, so the windows are still filled with night.
The characters' names suggest a religious undertone to the
story. The play has a
sad, realistic view of life which should be reflected by a sense of
abandonment in the scenery. The
stool Stephen is sitting on is small and low to the ground,
suggesting that Stephen's life is going downhill and also showing
his sense of inferiority.
The diner's
dark walls and ceilings are enclosing the characters.
Dark green paint is chipping off the walls. Stephen states in the script that there are never customers
at the restaurant, and therefore it would not have a very inviting
appearance. The paper
cup that Stephen uses symbolizes his 'throw away' attitude toward
the place; a glass might anchor him or weigh him down.
The bar is in the center of the stage. It is large
and acts as a barrier between the two characters.
Stephen
mentions that his hair used to be red when he was young and
passionate about the world. Now
it is brown like everyone else.
This shows a loss of fire that sometimes comes with age.
Angel wears a white uniform which shows her innocence.
Her lines show she has a more optimistic view of life. She
tries to reach out to Stephen by starting up conversation with him
("What're you gonna get with your cigarette coupons,
Stephen?") Bracelets are worn on both her wrists like
handcuffs, depicting the way she is bound to her job and to the
town. Her life starts
off with a "daily fight" with her mother, as described in
her first line.
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