Naomi Iizuka has done a great job in keeping the audience engaged through out the play. She does this by constantly having the audience guessing if the whole play is a dream, and not realty, or what is Anon’s real name, and why he doesn’t mention his real name, and even hiding the location of the play. Naomi does all these things intentionally to have us confused. The big question I have is why? Why would Naomi want to confused her audience?
To better understand the play, I will be analyzing the process of playwriting. There is a long process involved in playwriting a play. One of the main elements is having a topic or a specific subject you want to get across to your audience. This can be a message to want to get across, or even bring up the attention of a modern day issue. This involves a lot of research just as Naomi did to create Anonymous. This also clicks together with how you want a member of the audience to perceive what you’ve created. Jean Tay gives a perfect example of the process of playwriting. “The process of playwriting is really 99 percent perspiration and one percent inspiration”. Playwriting is almost like a game you are designing. You create the characters, the setting, the topic etc. You even create how you want the audience to react in certain scenes. Another key element in playwriting is research. Without research a majority of the plays in history would of not been created. Wither your researching about mentally ill prisoners, or even immigrant children. You must have a good amount of information to even start to think about playwriting.
My question earlier was why would Iizuka want to confuse or disorient her audience? To better answer this question we have to look more closely at Iizuka previous work. “Everyone who works with her, thereafter always misses her, because she makes the creative process a pleasure, says Jon Jory”. Iizuka has found most of the material for her plays by just experiencing regular day to day things. The Los Angeles Times even states that “She also has mined stories and characters by browsing in bookstores”. Iizuka could have came across an article or a book about refugee which later lead her to create Anonymous. Which brings back my question why would she want to disorient her audience? She is targeting a specific crowd which are refugees, but she also wanted everyone to relate to the issue which is why she did not give a conclusion to the play. She wants everyone to create there ending of the story. She wants everyone to create the setting of the play. By doing this she allows the audience to relate more to the play because she is allowing them to fill the blanks in.
In conclusion Having a crowd constantly guessing through out a play is a perfect method in keeping their attention. In doing so Iizuka has successfully created a play where everyone can relate to not just Refugee’s and immigrants. She has created a play that we have control of and not some much her.
Work Cities
Mike Boehm February 29,2004 Los Angeles Times
Adeline Chia The Straits Times September 8,2008