As people, when we interact with others, we only get part of the story. We're not always blessed enough to understand another person to the fullest extent, and Fornes makes that very apparent with her writing style.
By giving us only the bare minimum, she forces us to think fast about what we're seeing. With the rawness and painfulness of this play, it's like having to make a snap decision in a crisis situation like a mugging or rape (which is a huge part of this play). Victims of violence and rape don't have a lot of time to think about their situation, and Fornes seems to want to put us in that same state of hurriedness and panic.
I think also that, if Fornes were to give us back stories on all the characters, it would change the entire meaning of the play. We do get a bit of back story for Nena, but if we were to get one on Orlando, our entire view of him would possibly shift, and maybe we would feel more concerned after Leticia shoots him. Fornes is painting a specific picture about her characters with these small snapshots into their lives. If it were to be altered, this play would take on a different meaning that may not be as impactful and difficult to watch.
The scenes that she does choose to show us are for a reason as well. We could have seen Orlando killing the man from headquarters, but instead we get to hear him describe it and get more detail than if we were to just see it. We also hear about the investigation going on about him, more information than we would have gotten if we'd just seen the killing. She gives us very specific information to keep with her painting of the characters. Fornes truly tries to make us feel a certain way about the characters that she paints for us with her abrupt and specific scenes.
I would agree that Fornes only gives us a certain perspective on the characters and that the way we see them would change if different parts of the story were included. I like the idea that the audience also feels panic from the way the story is told. I hadn't even thought of that.
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