This area includes interaction among the worlds of the play, the author, and the audience.

When doing researching about the world of the audience, look for information about:

The general character of society

• Example: An American audience in the 1990s may be concerned with the state of the economy, racial tensions, the assertion of family values, AIDS, and the protection of the environment.

The variable nature of any specific audience at a play

• Examples: white middle class, Generation X, feminist, or conservative

• Contemporary events that are comparable to those in the world of the play
  • Example: A parallel can be drawn between the issue of corporate responsibility in Arthur Miller's "All My Sons" and the manufacturer of the unsafe cars by the auto industry such as the Chevrolet Corvair by General Motor in the 1960s.