An architecture student. Her thesis. The jury. Capturing the full character of architectural discourse, Private Jokes, Public Places offers a disturbing yet humorous glimpse inside the contemporary world of architecture. Margaret, a young Korean - American student, presents her thesis for a public swimming pool to an all - male jury of famous architects. Safdie, a former architecture student at Columbia University and the son of prominent architect Moshe Safdie, uses this simple premise as a jumping - off point for a facile examination of academia, intellectual pretension and the failure of postmodernist culture. The play asks compelling questions about the state of the male / female power struggle, fears of disrupting the status quo and ultimately the importance of challenging tradition.