Introduction & Overview of Six Degrees of Separation by John Guare

Six Degrees of Separation Introduction

The heart of John Guare's Six Degrees of Separation can be summed up ill a few sentences that Ouisa Kittredge directs at the audience: "I read somewhere that everybody on this planet is separated by only six other people. Six degrees of separation. . . . It's a profound thought. . . . How every person is a new door, opening up into other worlds."

Six Degrees of Separation first opened off-Broadway in 1990. Its original ten-week run was extended almost immediately. Audiences lined up in hopes of ticket cancellations to see this play that explores late twentieth-century society as deftly as it does universal human relationships. Called a tragicomedy by some critics, Six Degrees of Separation is a witty, biting, yet ultimately sincere commentary on what drives people: the desire for money, fame, social standing, comfort, and, for the lucky, a desire for meaningful human connection. Guare based...
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