Because of the importance of telling a story with a limited number of characters, short stories often make better sources for adaptable material than do novels. For the stage, in addition, theater audiences tend to accept and prefer works of a more conceptual, thought-based nature, meaning their preferences need to be considered when selecting a work for adaptation, but also when determining how best to adapt it. The stage imposes physical limits of size and technology. Not every illusion that can be made to appear real on the movie screen can be made to appear so on stage.
