The play XX takes place entirely within a two-story house of twenty rooms. These rooms—ten on each floor—have been constructed around a large hall with stairs. They are connected to each other by doors, which lead into corridors and also from room-to-room. On the second floor, the rooms have windows and through these, as well as through the corridors, the spectator can see theatre seats, in this case those of the Odéon in Paris, dimly outlined in the shadows. Looking upward, one can see the decorative ceiling of the famous Paris theatre. Even before the performance begins, it is simply and clearly established that the spectator [for the purpose of this article, the author] is at the theatre, within theatrical space/time.

The play, however, does not begin at the same time for everyone. The relationship between actor and spectator is established on new ground.