The play should be set in a semi-detached house, in a village; the living room which most of the play is set will be neighbouring to the front garden, the reason for this is because there is a quote on the play which says ‘‘she cranes up towards the window’’ so Doris can see her front garden through her window. The props that I would use will be the settee, buffet, cream cracker, low chair and a duster. The reason I decided to use the buffet is because on the play there is quote that says ‘‘so I got the buffet and climbed up’’ and also decided to use a duster and the chair is because there is also a quote that says ‘‘She shoves the duster down side of the chair’’
The play would be set on the season of autumn because on the season of autumn the leaves fall down from trees and my reason for this is the quotation on the play which says ‘‘some leaves coming down now. I could do with trees if they didn’t have leaves, going up and down the path’’ meaning that is autumn time because usually that’s when leaves fall to the ground. The play should be set in a day time and should also be set in different parts of the house. The first scene should be in the living room about 10am in the morning, because the play mentions the word ‘‘morning’’ the second scene should be set in the living room as well around 12pm. There are four scenes in the play altogether and all four scenes take place on the same day so I would pass about 2-3 hours after each scene. The third scene will be set in the hallway around 3pm in the afternoon, and I would pass few hours because this is the second last scene and that’s why this scene should be set in mid-afternoon. I would set the last and final scene of the play in the living room at early evening around 6pm because Doris says ‘‘its getting dark’’ this quote tells us that it’s evening time and as it is autumn and usually in autumn the sun sets quit early about 6pm.
Because Doris is an old lady is critical she dresses like an old lady. In the play Doris would be wearing an old frock. As she mentions ‘‘I’ve had this frock for years.’’ She will also be wearing a cardigan because the play is set in autumn and she feels cold. Doris is character who would be obsessed with cleanliness because she hurts herself while dusting and because she looks after her house so well then this intimates that Doris is also very neat person. Doris will be overemotional person. For example she thinks back to when her baby had died before birth and his feelings also make her miserable. Doris mentions Zulema. Zulema is a helper form the social services as I mentioned before and her attitude towards her shows Doris has a violent tongue because she keeps on saying bad things to her i.e. “you’ll be on the unemployment exchange’’ Doris says to Zulema. This tells us that Doris wants Zulema to get sacked and she can’t wait until Zulema gets fired. As I said before Doris don’t like Zulema since she doesn’t clean properly, or since she makes fun of Doris and goes on and on about Stafford house, Zulema says “you’re on trail.’’ In other words Zulema is saying to Doris you are being watched. As the play goes on Doris talks about her husband Wilfred who passed away she talks about him throughout the play she’s always going on about how he couldn’t keep the promises. “He never got round to it.’’ She says even though Wilfred’s habits irritated her she still loved him.
In conclusion this play dedicates massage about old age and contains key moments. One of the key moments of the play is when Doris falls of the buffet and hurts herself. This is a key moment because it increases Doris’s stress. One more key moment is when she eats the cream cracker and chooses to end her life and when she rejects the help from the policemen because she knows if she is saved, she is old and if not today she will pass away one day, sooner or later. The breaks of the play are to change the subject. For example “I can nip this leg and nothing. Pause. Ought to have a dog.’’ And the pauses also show that she’s in pain and therefore she must take a break after speaking for about a minute. Doris is obsessed with cleaning since she cannot stand dust. Zulema is possibly a part time worker and may possibly work only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Doris eats the cream cracker because she is hungry or the cream cracker represents Doris. And she eats and destroys the cracker and therefore she puts an end to her life. She commits euthanasia because she doesn’t have motive in her life. She refused the help from the policemen because she knew that she ate the cream cracker, which symbolised her and she destroyed it so there is no way she can bring back the cream cracker and therefore she know not even the policemen could save her from dying. As she quotes “never mind. It’s done with now, anyway.’’ Meaning that what’s done is done and cannot be undone so you must live with it.
By watching this play the audience must understand the troubles and difficulties with old age and how we need someone to look after us when we are over seventies. And being old has many problems such as difficulties with walking. This is why Doris is miserable. Doris mentions leafs coming down and she has another meaning behind it beside the season being autumn. The leave symbolises Doris. In the spring the birth of the leaf take place, the summer is the main part of the life for the leaf. Autumn is old age and this is where Doris at present stands. In the winter leafs die and therefore Doris can see herself in that leaf because she knows she is also about to reach her winter, which is her time of death.
