All theater is site specific. No production can separate itself from its physical context. But the space is only one part of "site specificity". (thread)

Is the space a proscenium, a thrust, in the round? Was it built to be a theater or is it a found or converted space? If it’s a theater, what kind of work was it built to present? If it’s a found space, what was it before?

Is it new, old, clean, in disrepair? How many does it seat, how many seats are full that night, what kind of crowd is there? What do they look like? What is their energy? Why do you think that is?

Is there a lobby? What is in it? Who is in it? Who is the first person an audience meets when they arrive? Did they drive to get there? Take public transportation? What was the weather that night? What was the temperature in the space?

How much did people pay for their tickets? What do people know about the play in advance? The cast? The writer? The producer? The reviews? The awards?

Is it on Broadway? In a gallery? A gym? An empty field? An important regional institution? Is there social currency in going to see this play? What compelled them to come, and how will they feel being there? Excited? Entitled? Eager? Unimpressed? What has made them feel that way?

Is the play happening in the city? What is the social and political situation of that city? What relationship does that city have with the arts? What does it mean to support the arts in that city? Is it a rebellious act? Is it a bourgeois one?

How would you describe this moment in history? Is it calm? Violent? Is the site of the play part of rapid or slow change? Has the audience read the news today? What will they bring with them into the theater tonight?

Audiences are smart, and they clock everything: so much storytelling has happened before the lights go down. What does it mean to do a play in this building, on this night, in this city, in this country, for these people, in this weather, at this exact moment in history?