The staged reading of Catastrophe was a new experience for me. I had not participated in a staged reading before. The biggest challenge was trying to find a modern day way to express what we saw in the play. We decided to use the idea of Capitalism. Jon (playing D) and Pamela (playing A) represented the system of capitalism, or “the man”. Both wore what would be considered typical business attire. We decided to have Jon wear a coat but to have Pamela go without one. This was to express the gap between men and women that often exists within the workplace today. Despite our progressive laws and societal ideals, it is often the case that men get preferential treatment over their female coworkers and occupy a higher percentage of top management positions. Mike (playing P) started out dressed like Jon to show that he was ready to take on the system. However throughout the play he became more and more disheveled to show that he was being beaten down by the system and was being taught to learn his place. I (playing L) was dressed in jeans and a work shirt to represent the blue collar workers who do not get recognition but without whom the system would not work.