EngagePerspectivesLet’s Keep Talking: Day of Absence Post-Show Dialogue
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Let’s Keep Talking: Day of Absence Post-Show Dialogue

We invite you to continue the conversation! If you participated in the February 8 post-show dialogue following the Penn Live Arts production of Day of Absence, or attended other performance dates and are eager to join in dialogue with other theatergoers, welcome!

The purpose of this space is for folks who have seen Day of Absence to continue to process their responses to the play’s themes and events as well as the artistic choices made by the playwright, director, and cast. Below are some of the questions we explored in the post-show dialogues on February 2. Feel free to respond to these questions, to pose new questions, and to respond to one another in the comments.
banner image with cast members in "Day of Absence" production with title and additional text that says post-show dialogue
Courtesy of Negro Ensemble Company and Penn Live Arts.

What are some of the feelings this play, and the choices made in staging it (like the use of whiteface), brought up for you? Where do you think those feelings come from?

How effective was the epilogue in translating the play’s themes from 1965 to 2025? If you were writing the epilogue, where would you set it (thematically)?Considering satire, humor and costume, how do the production choices affect audience experience?

What does Day of Absence remind you of – historical events, recent events, experiences you’ve had, other works of art, etc? What is similar and different between the themes of Day of Absence and these other events, experiences, or representations?

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