Key Scenes & Proxemics
Mapping the class divide across a composite set.
The Composite Set
Because the action jumps back and forth so rapidly, most productions use a composite set showing the Johnstone house (poor), the Lyons house (rich), and the street (neutral) at once. Click the scenes below to see how characters physically cross (or fail to cross) those boundaries.
Look closely: Which panel uses distance most powerfully, and what does the audience understand from it?
🤝 The Pact (Prologue)
What happens: Mrs Lyons manipulates a desperate Mrs Johnstone into giving away one of her twins, sealing the deal by swearing on the Bible.
Exam Focus & Proxemics:- Proxemics: Mrs Lyons crosses into the Johnstone house, invading Mrs Johnstone’s space and trapping her with status.
- The Narrator: Center-street observer — the visible force of “fate”.
- Lighting: Isolate the Bible/handshake moment so the “pact” becomes theatrical evidence.
Exam Answer Builder
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Pick a scene, then write one sentence that includes: what the audience learns + how proxemics shows status. Use the answer builder above to check your phrasing.