The theatre department at Stony Brook University recently put on John Guare's play "Six Degrees of Separation." These talented young actors and actresses did a fabulous job of presenting each of the individual characters and their personalities. Although there were a few minor mistakes along the way, the play turned out to be quite funny, which was entirely unexpected and appreciated by the audience.
             Given the lack of budget that a state university's theatre department has, the lighting and prop design were wonderful. The furniture in the upscale apartment of Ouisa and Flan was both contemporary and elegant. The costume design was eloquent, simple, and highly representative of the time period. There were over 100 lighting cues in this production, which created a wonderfully enhanced mood. For example when Ouisa and Flan find out that Paul is gay and later when he is taken to jail before their arrival the lights dim to show their emotion. Again when Paul is sitting in Central Park with his two new friends Rick and Elizabeth the foliage cue is displayed on a white cloth-like wall behind them to represent the outdoors, these instances are just a few of which, contributed to a well-designed production.
             Certain mistakes are made by the actors during the course of the play that is minor but meaningful, such as Paul's and Ousia's inability to speak clearly, which is what these upper-class characters are noted for. The business on the stage needs to be carried out in an upper-class manner, and when Paul adds ice to his wineglass with the chilled wine already in it, this represents ignorance.
             Within the play, the actors/actresses address the audience directly to give them information about upcoming events or to explain past scenes. This personalizes the play a great deal and makes the atmosphere in the theatre very warm and friendly. With a play like Six Degrees, this personalization is almost required because of the issues that are ...