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             After work, Erica is telling her own story (onstage as a stand-up) but is being rejected for it by ugly male crowds. More than that, she doesn’t always get social issues right either, and offends some people with her sets. She gets it at her day job, too; harassed for being a female doorwoman. In fact, men in the doorman’s union (a real thing) try to keep her out and she must fight against them to keep her job. Erica still doesn't fit in. 

 

            Not only can Reception work with New York City as a backdrop, but each of these characters have rich family home lives and they can be explored. What was Erica’s Alabama upbringing like, and how does it both enhance and contradict what she is pursuing in New York City? What are the receptions when she goes to Alabama or when her friends and family come to New York? How does Pat connect (or not) with his Missouri roots, and the racism and class differences he was shown there (and benefitted from)? 

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