dience with regard to the characters. They can aid the audience in deciphering which characters' personalities match and which individuals are truly incompatible. In the production, it was obvious that Dr. John Sr. and Alma dressed in the same light color palates. This gives the audience the impression that these characters complement each other. This is the case because; they both trusted each other enough to share Alma's most intimate secrets. On the contrary, Rosa Gonzales wore a provocative red dress, which beautifully contrasted Alma's more conservative white dress. During the play, it was obvious that the two of them never saw eye to eye. Both Alma and John change into different style and color of clothes in the ending scene. In the beginning, Alma was wearing her traditional white dress, while John wore his dressy white suite. This change in attire symbolizes to the audience their evolved personalities. In the ending scene Alma's dress becomes a shade of brown, which is a darker more engaging color. The style of this particular dress was much more flamboyant. Her hair, along with her inner wild side was also let loose. All these changes intend to show us that she has lost all hope and gone to a more defiant and less respectable route. John, On the other hand, is now sporting a black, more conservatively cut suite. It is also painstakingly obvious that he has abandoned his renegade ways, and has now become a more responsible and respectable man.Character transformation is evident in the Guthrie Theater's production of Summer and Smoke. The set, costumes, and character mannerisms are all symbolic elements, which reflect these transformations. If picked up and understood these symbolic elements add more depth and meaning to the production. These transformations improved the production and made it more interesting by hinting at the minute and otherwise unnoticeable subtleties in the characters and their actions. ...
