How I Learned to Drive blog

In How I Learned to Drive by Paula Vogel, her dramaturgical choice for including a Greek chorus was interesting.  Greek chorus is usually group of actors who speak or sing in unison in a tragedy. How I Learned to Drive is suitable for a chorus because it is a tragedy. In addition, Greek chorus is used as a filling for limiting the amount the characters of the story. Basely the playwright groups all the secondary characters in one group. Also the chorus adds a different vocal element to a stage drama. She chooses to do this for effect. The Greek chorus forces the audience to focus on the Li’l Bit’s and Peck’s relationship. The chorus eliminates the distraction from other characters and their relationships. In the end, the Greek chorus helps to focus on the main message of Li’l Bit’s and Peck’s relationship.  

Another dramaturgical choice that sticks out is the titles in the script. I found that the scenes under the titles related. For example, the title “Idling in the Neutral Gear” related to its scene. In the scene, Li’l Bit and the Greek chorus are explaining about how family members receive their nickname. The scene helps the story develop but it was not extremely important to the plot. The scene was more of a comic relief for the audience. So it actually idle the story in a neutral position. I enjoyed the thought and creativity that went into the titles.