Michael Langham indicates this in his introduction to the book. The usefulness of Backwards and Forwards lies in the fact that it reveals a script not only as literature, but as raw material for theatrical performance - sometimes with structural characteristics that make it comparable to a musical score. 39 Ball's premise is simple. A play is a series of actions. It is not about action, nor does it describe action.
Action occurs when something happens that makes or permits something else to happen.
According to Ball, every movement in a drama, whether through verbal or physical action, causes a response of either, or both, types. Immediately, each effect produces an effect, thus making the initial effect become a cause. This cycle continues endlessly until the end of the play. 41 Ball suggests that textual analysis be undertaken in a backwards motion. Only when we look at events in reverse order can we see, with certainty, how the dominoes fell, which fell against which.