Social, historical and cultural context
The background to a play is called its context, and this includes when and where the play is set. It is important to understand the context of a play, eg what would have been happening in that place and time. Knowing a play’s context will influence the choices made in acting, costume and set design and as such how the play is brought to life on stage.
Context can be:
- social - the society featured in the play, including the character’s social classSocial groupings, sometimes used to measure people's place in society. , their financial or economic status and the type of government power they live within
- historical - the events in the past that impact on the current situation or characters
- cultural - the views and practices of the characters, including their religious views, superstitions, family values, morals and ethics