Bus Stop
By William Inge
This was an academic project and therefore was never realized on stage.
Quarter-inch scale model
Hand-drafted ground plan
Hand-drafted centerline section
Hand-drafted elevations
The style of this production is based on a combination of history and imaginative liberties that I took in designing the look of Grace’s Diner. I did quite a bit of research into the history of Kansas, the building of the American Interstate Highway System, and the architecture of the early Twentieth century. I wanted the diner to look as though it had been converted from a building that was already there and had been built about Twenty years prior to the action of the play. Grace seems to be a very resourceful and practical woman. I don’t think she ever had long-term goals of owning a diner, nor do I think she inherited it from a friend or relative. She started the diner on her own. For these reasons, it didn’t make sense that she built the diner from the ground up. I believe that she needed a way to earn a living, bought a building, and turned it into Grace’s Diner. This would mean that the architecture of the diner would have elements of early Twentieth century design. In my research, I found that most of the small towns between Kansas City and Topeka weren’t modernized until the 1930’s or 1940’s, and many retained the “wild west” saloon-style appearance that they had in years prior. I took some creative liberties and designed a diner with 1950’s style furniture and appliances; but the actual walls, floors, and décor are reminiscent of a 1920’s speakeasy during prohibition.
