HAY FEVERBY

NOEL COWARDMallory Carty

TJ PrestonKallie Jung

Kathleen Duke

SETTING Summer of 1920’s in Cookham,

England. A June afternoon to morning. In the Bliss’ house, the play is set mostly in their hall.

PLOT SUMMARY Family of four: David, Judith, Sorel,

Simon Each member invites a friend for the

weekend David- Jackie Judith- Sandy Sorel- Richard Simon- Myra

PLOT SUMMARY CONTINUED Family tries to act civilized for their

guests As the day unfolds, each guest looks to

another family member for comfort. The family soon shows their dysfunction,

which ends up scaring away their guests. Guests soon plot their escape only one

day into the weekend.

INCITING INCIDENT When the family member’s found out

they each invited a guest without telling anyone

Immediately works up friction among the family

Tension doesn’t reside even when guests arrive

CLIMAX The family and guests play a parlor

game (a form of charades) Craziness of the family starts to really

show

THREE MAJOR ISSUES Family issues- you can assume that this

particular family has a complex, twisted past that interferes with their relationship today, stemming from their differing personalities.

Relationship issues/adultery- as the guests find solace in a different family member that invited them, relationships are torn apart and marriages are ruined

Line between sanity/insanity- we see how the family as a whole covers up their insane attitude from their guests for only a short time, and that when revealed, the guests aren’t remotely attracted to them.

THEME Communication is key The family only falls into chaos because

of their miscommunication. The guests don’t understand the family or anything they say, which is the downfall of the weekend.

CHARACTERS Judith (mother)- retired actress in her

late 40’s, she wants to start theater back up. Melodramatic and one for theatrics, she isn’t concerned with solving the problems in an argument.

Simon (son)- early 20’s, unemployed, and a control freak, Simon takes after his mother; he’s passive aggressive and rather selfish

CHARACTERS CONTINUED Sorel (daughter)- early 20’s, Sorel is

more of a daddy’s girl. She has anger issues, as she’s always bickering with Simon, but cares for her guests and wants the best for the family.

PROTAGONIST Not one person, like in most plays Whole family is the protagonist, since

the play focuses primarily on the family as a whole

The family itself is innocent in the play, and the problem doesn’t stem from their insanity; their insanity simply magnifies the problem.

ANTAGONIST Not one person, like the protagonist. Guests as a whole are the antagonists.

They create the tension that ultimately fuels the arguments the family has.

SCENES AND MONOLOGUES Judith monologue page 15 Scene between 4 guests page 57 Simon monologue page 21 Scene between 4 family members page

60 Scene between Myra/ David page 44 Sorel monologue page 27

VOCABULARY Winsomely: an engaging manner

(mentioned during game) Saucily: an impudent or impertinent

manner(mentioned during game) Diplomatist: an official engaged in

international negotiations (Richard’s occupation)

Dieppe: French city (they visited there, shows they’re upper class)

Slapdash: careless/reckless manner (describes family

VOCAB CONTINUED Bohemian: unconventional, especially in

appearance or behavior (Richard describes the family as such)

Blasé: nonchalantly unconcerned (Sorel describes Simon as this)

Magnanimously: generous and understanding (Judith sarcastically described as this)

Abject: showing humiliation/ submissiveness (Jackie described as this)

Affectation: a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display (Myra’s relationship with David

UNFAMILLIAR REFERENCES Place de Concorde: a road Rue St. Honore: a road Charlie Templeton: Canadian cartoonist Maiden Head: City in the UK

COMMENTS Kallie and Kathleen liked fast paced

speed of the show, TJ and Mallory didn’t. Liked how each family member was

their own type of crazy Liked the ending and how it shows the

utter insanity of the family Got kind of confusing at times Would recommend to a friend because it

was very funny, witty, and an overall good read.