An Octoroon

How does the playwright use metatheatricality? What effect does this have? Choose three examples of metatheatricality from the text and explain each.

Research Br’er Rabbit. What is his significance in the history of American culture? What does he represent in An Octoroon? Choose three instances in the play when Br’er Rabbit appears to analyze.

How does An Octoroon comment on the depiction of slavery in The Octoroon? Support your answer with evidence from the play.

Read and research the original melodrama The Octoroon by Dion Boucicault. Why do you think Branden Jacobs-Jenkins chose this play to adapt?

. Consider the auction scene in Act III and read the playwright’s stage directions at the top of page 43. How would you stage this scene, and how would you involve (or not involve) the audience? Why?

In “The Art of Dramatic Composition,” Boucicault states that drama is composed of two parts: “The action which causes suffering, and the persons who suffer” (Boucicault, Dion. “The Art of Dramatic Composition.” The North American Review, 1878, vol. 126, no. 260, pp. 40-52). How do you see that formula either displayed or dismantled in An Octoroon?

What is the significance of blood as a symbol in the play? When does blood appear as a prominent image, and how does it function?

Imagine that you are directing a production of An Octoroon. What do you think audiences need to know or understand to get the most out of viewing the play? How would you communicate that knowledge?