Tony Kushner’s play Angel’s in America contains many “split screen” scenes. These are scenes where two or more different actions in the play are focused on. An example of this is Act 2, Scene 4 of the play. This scene is divided into two areas. The first area is the conversation between Joe and Roy. The second area of the scene is between Louis and the man in the park. The reason that Kushner did this may have been to break up the drama in some of the more intense scenes. If the scene suddenly jumps from Roy telling Joe to leave his wife for Washington to Louis meeting a man in the park, then we are removed from the intensity of the scene and reminded that it is only a play. Doing this allows the audience to gather their thoughts and prepare themselves for what is coming next.
Another reason why Kushner may have decided to mix different areas into one scene is because they would have been awkward on their own. The area of the scene that involves Roy and Joe is important enough to stand on its own as a scene. It advances plot and reveals more about the characters of Roy, Joe, and Harper. The area that involves Louis having sex with a guy could not stand on its own. It shows Louis’ guilt about Prior, but it also creates the awkward situation of having the audience watch a gay sex scene. The author may have broken it up and put it into another scene so that the audience could focus on it, but take a break from it as well.
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