Wheat does this quite well on several occasions. In Act I, the second scene is entitled Welcome to Saskatchewan. In this scene, the audience is introduced to the comedy of the play when Vasil, an immigrant, is taken advantage of by a local shop owner, John Pearson. The audience is kept laughing as the exchange between the two men progresses half in English and half in a gibberish form of Ukrainian. Here we see that the comedy throughout the play will focus on making fun of immigrants. Another scene entitled Breaking the Plow illustrates this point. Sean, an Irishman who has recently immigrated, delivers a hilarious monologue in which he lovingly coaxes his oxen, and then berates them for not plowing a straight line. He repeatedly refers to them as Protestants, as this is the worst thing he can think of to call them!There are many different elements that can be used to engage an audiences interest. The overall success of Paper Wheat proves that really getting to know and identify with the characters themselves is not really necessary for an audience to remain interested. In the case of Paper Wheat, the audience is able to identify with the plot, they are able to see a historical reflection of their lives. They are also able to relate to the message of the play. These can be just as powerful and interesting as identifying with the characters themselves. When you add spectacle elements and a comedic backdrop to the story, you have a delightful play that the audience can both learn from and enjoy, and this is what we have in Paper Wheat....
