Plot
What baseball team does the main character play for?
the Empires
List 3 themes seen throughout the play.
Who is Mason Marzac?
the accountant assigned to handle Darren's finances, Darren's friend and supporter.
What does Mason's character represent in society?
He can be seen as representing a certain segment of society that is relatively privileged and well-educated, but still struggles with issues of identity and self-expression.
Why does Darren meet with Mason and express his desire to retire from baseball?
This interaction occurs right after Darren finds out Shane may be rejoining the team after his letter swayed public opinion. Darren is upset about this because he feels offended and disrespected by Shane, enough to make him want to retire.
What happens to Shane in the end?
After he throws the pitch that kills Davey, he is then visited by Kippy and Darren and they discuss the incident. It is revealed in the end that no charges were leveled against Shane, he ended up in jail for something unrelated.
How is the theme of teamwork seen throughout the play?
The play shows how the team's success depends on the collective effort and support of its members. It also demonstrates how conflict and tension between teammates can effect the whole team.
What is the relationship between Davey and Darren?
They are baseball players who come from vastly different backgrounds but form a longtime friendship (8 years) This friendship is tested when Davey confronts Darren asking him if he has been thinking of him sexually over the eight years of their friendship. He also accuses Darren of using the public reputation that Davey has cultivated to hide his secret.
What does Shane's character represent in society?
He is the embodiment of discrimination, heteronormativity, and traditional masculine ideals and values. Through Shane's interactions with other characters, the play explores the tension and conflict that can exist between traditional masculine values and expressions of vulnerability, sensitivity, and emotion.
Why is Shane Suspended from the Empires?
because he refers to Darren, who has recently gone public about his homosexuality, as the f slur.
What happens in the shower scene between Darren and Shane?
Darren's presence in the shower makes Shane nervous, and Darren eggs him on, taunting him about his racism and homophobia. He ends up going to Shane, grabbing him, and kissing him, pretending that he and Shane are lovers, though Shane shouts at him throughout the experience.
How is the theme of race seen throughout the play?
The team is comprised of individuals form many different racial backrounds who often struggle to understand each other and their experiences. Which leads to conflict and tension.
Darren's mixed-race identity is a significant aspect of his character, and the play explores how his racial identity affects his interactions with his teammates and the media. For example, he is often seen as a symbol of racial progress in the sport of baseball, and his success is seen as a positive representation of the potential for racial integration in the sport.
Who is Kawabata and what does his character represent?
He is a Japanese baseball player. Kawabata's represents the experiences of international players in American sports, including the language and cultural barriers they often face. At one point his words are translated and he expresses his loneliness in America.
What is one thing we can take away as actors from "Take Me Out"?
Embrace vulnerability, explore nuances and complexity of characters, approach the material with sensitivity and respect, etc.
What is the significance of the title?
the words "take me out" are the first words sung in baseball's unofficial anthem.
"Take me out" refers also to romantic relations. the sense of going out and asking someone out.
A third sense of the phrase is that it represents the opposite of what athletes usually request of their coaches. Greenberg's use of the phrase in its negative form might be a reference to the fact that Darren Lemming is a reluctant player, planning his retirement from baseball, or it could refer to the way that Shane Mungitt destroys his career, implicitly asking to be taken out of the game. The phrase also suggests an invitation to be murdered.
Who throws the pitch that kills Davey?
Shane
What is the significance of the sport of baseball as a symbol, and how does it relate to the play's larger themes of masculinity, teamwork, and the American dream?
It represents not only the sport itself but also the cultural values and expectations associated with it. Baseball has a long history of being associated with heteronormative masculinity, and the play uses this to explore issues of sexual identity and homophobia. By having a gay character be a star player, the play challenges the notion that being gay is incompatible with traditional notions of masculinity and athleticism.
Who is Shane Mungitt, and what is his relationship with Darren?
he is a member of the Empires baseball team, A relief pitcher, who was brought up from the minor leagues. He is increasingly hostile towards Darren when he comes out as gay.
What is the role of the media in shaping public opinion and attitudes toward LGBTQ+ individuals, and how does this play out in the context of "Take Me Out"?
While media representation can be a powerful tool for promoting social change and acceptance, it can also perpetuate harmful stereotypes and biases. On the one hand, the media's coverage of Darren's coming out is portrayed as positive. Darren is celebrated as a trailblazer and a hero for breaking down barriers and challenging stereotypes. However, the media's impact on Darren's life is not entirely positive. His decision to come out leads to intense scrutiny and criticism from some members of the media and the public.
What is the significance of having nudity onstage, and why was this artistic choice integral to the plot?
the significance of nudity is to create a more authentic and meaningful portrayal of the characters and their relationships, and to challenge societal norms and expectations surrounding male nudity and sexuality.
What happens at the opening of the second act?
the team's manager, Skipper reads a letter that he has written to Darren, addressing him distantly as "Mr. Lemming" and stating his objection to Shane Mungitt's prejudiced remarks.
How is the theme of social class seen throughout the play, specifically in the Shane's character?
Shane is a victim of the lower-class background from which he comes. Shane is the opposite of Darren Lemming - Darren being the product of a "triumphant yet cozy middle-class marriage" Shane - traumatized early on by his parents' deaths and followed in a succession of orphanages. He has not been raised to have the financial resources that Darren has, and more important, he lacks the emotional security to adapt to new situations.
explain Davey's religion and how this effects his views and relationship with Darren.
Davey holds religious values, and Darren admires him for that. He encourages Darren to keep no secrets, to live his life publicly, which leads to Darren's announcement about his sexual orientation. However, Darren misinterpreted Davey, he was not encouraging him to live openly as a gay man, and, in fact, Darren's sexual orientation offends Davey's religious background.
How does the play use satire to comment on the cultural and social attitudes of the world of professional sports and the broader society?
The play pokes fun at the stereotypes and prejudices that often exist in the world of sports.
ex. Kippy, portrayed as a macho, hyper-masculine athlete who is obsessed with his own image. The play uses humor to critique this type of masculinity and its toxic effects on both individuals and the team as a whole.
Give 2 examples of soliloquies in the play. (characters step away from a dramatic situation and reveals their internal thoughts and emotions) Explain the significance of Greenberg's choice to include these.
Mason's speech about baseball as "a perfect metaphor for hope in a democratic society". He is an analytic character and this is a reflection of his emotions and inner analysis.
The speech that Kawabata gives to the audience expressing how he does know what is going on even though he cannot communicate effectively.