The Chairs Lesson Plan

What can you tell immediately from the set instructions at the beginning of the play? What do you associate with a blackboard? What about a dais? What other elements strike you as interesting and/or significant?

Students might pay attention to the semicircular shape of the set, the sparse furnishings, the number of doors, the near-symmetry of the right and left sides, etc. They might also note any hesitations or uncertainties they experience as they approach the question—e.g. whether they find avant-garde theater intimidating, and if so, why. Encouragement might be offered that no special knowledge is needed, and any responses or associations are valid. For instance,...