Kennedy's plays are often described as surreal and dreamlike. Select a moment from the play you think is surreal and discuss the justification for your choice.
An aspect of the surreal quality of the play is captured through the multiple Sarahs that appear in the script. What do Sarah's different "selves" represent in the play?
Compare and contrast Kennedy's characterization of Sarah with the character Jones in O'Neill's The Emperor Jones.
Kennedy and Shange with their African ancestry use metaphors of theater or performance to inform their work. What is the significance of this metaphor, and how does each playwright treat it differently?
"Nonlinear" is a term used to describe Kennedy's work, particularly her early plays. What does the term mean and how does it apply to this play?
Most of the productions of Funnyhouse of a Negro use masks. Why is this important to the staging of the production?
Because of its surreal, dense poetic style, lighting design plays a major role in any production of Funnyhouse of a Negro. Select one of the sequences and describe how you would use light in a production of the play.
