What are some commonalities among the conventions employed by the different playwrights in the Theatre of the Absurd movement? What makes The Lesson an absurdist play?

Imagine that you are working on a contemporary production of The Lesson. How would you make the play relevant to audiences today? What parts of the play do you think might be problematic or have not aged well? What symbol would you put on the armband (or another item to similar effect)?

Why do you think Ionesco specifies that the knife is imaginary? How does that create meaning? What difference do you think it makes in the play if the knife is a real prop?