Louis Kushner Split Scene

A theatrical element that Kushner employed to increase the affiliation between the audience and his characters was the use of split scenes. By using a split scene, the audience was able to watch two scenes occur at the same time. These scenes would often portray two different couples having the same argument. This not only allowed the audience to understand the characters more, but to relate to the characters themselves. With two separate couples, an audience member is bound to relate to one of the four people in the argument. If an audience member sees himself in one character, then he can link himself to the character from the other couple in the same position. For example, in Millennium Approaches Act Two, Scene 9, there is a split scene between Joe and Harper, and Louis and Prior. Here, Louis tells Prior that he has moved out, and Harper tells Joe that she wants to leave. The scene starts slow and it is clear which of the couples is speaking, but as the conversation picks up, it becomes so rapid that it sounds sometimes as though Prior has answered Joe, rather than Harper, or vice versa. Using this theatrical element forces the audience to see the …show more content…
In the play, Louis often talks about the evils of conservative Republicans and Ronald Reagan. Reagan had a poor reputation amongst the gay community because of his lack of effort to address the AIDS epidemic. It was called “negligent homicide” and “public health malpractice”(Koop). By making Louis’ political alliances clear, Kushner tries to encourage other liberals to work towards social change. He makes this especially clear in Prior’s closing monologue, when he says, “...we are not going away. We will not die secret deaths anymore. The world only spins forward. We will be citizens. The time has come. Bye now. You are all fabulous creatures, each and every one. And I bless you: More Life. The Great Work