After he hangs up, Carol begins to discuss her issues with John's course. She expresses frustration that she does not understand the material in his class, despite having read the assigned books and attending his lectures. Oleanna is a three-act play written by David Mamet. Carol, a college student, is in the office of her professor, John. The play first premiered on stage in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1992. Oleanna Summary The play begins with John, a college professor, talking on the phone in his office while Carol, his student, sits across the desk from him. She says that she is unable to understand the material and that John uses language that makes her feel unintelligent. Of particular concern is a book written by John himself, wherein he questions the modern insistence that everyone participate in higher education, referring to it as "systematic hazing". The play tells the story of a pompous university professor named John and his student, Carol, who accuses him of sexual harassment. https://www.thoughtco.com/david-mamets-two-person-play-oleanna-2713508