Play Critique – PASS OVER

Requirements: as soon as possible

HERE ARE SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:HOW WE WILL APPROACH PLAY CRITIQUE

• Taking the knowledge we have about theatre thus far and applying those concepts and analysis to a specific production (as we’ve done with Warhorse)
• We’re going beyond “I didn’t like this” or “I did like this” or “I didn’t get it”
• Presenting both subjective interpretation (based on personal opinion) as well as objective analysis (non-personal, fact-based) and response
• When a piece doesn’t work for us as an audience member, we delve in and figure out why — e.g., the structure of the plot made it difficult to understand the story, the design elements didn’t work in tandem with the individual performances, etc.
• Discussing the effectiveness of the piece — what message were they trying to convey and was that accomplished successfully
• Utilizing specific examples as opposed to sweeping generalizations — instead of saying “I didn’t feel the lighting design was effective,” being more specific and saying “I felt the lighting design didn’t change from scene to scene in a way that matched the changing tone and mood of each scene.”
• NOT simply summarizing the play and describing what happened — you should spend more time analyzing what you experienced rather than relaying or describing what you saw

WHAT YOUR PLAY CRITIQUE SHOULD COVER

Adapted from “How to Review a Play” from the Writing Center at University of Wisconsin-Madison, with edits based on our current circumstance in regards to how we can attend theatrical performances.

THE NATURE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Because the performance of any play is such an ephemeral experience, writing a play review can be an exciting, though difficult, task. You have to be both spectator taking in and enjoying the performance and critical analyst of the production itself. You have to be able to provide a very brief summary of the play, a close objective analysis of the performance you attend, and an interpretation and evaluation of the entire ensemble of staging, acting, directing, and so on.

ATTENDING THE PRODUCTION

Attend the play with an open mind, a willingness to accept the play as the director has presented it in production. (or, in our asynchronous class, view the filmed play)

• You may want to consider some of the following:
  • Why the choice of costumes, and why the set design?
  • How did the actors deliver their lines (seriously, comically, realistically, formally)? Were there any significant actions or gestures that contributed to the play’s meaning?
  • Were any “special effects” utilized (consider lighting, sound, audience participation, machinery)?

After the performance, jot down the details you recall and talk about the performance with friends. You’ll need these details for your paper in order to substantiate your argument.

WRITING THE REVIEW

Below are some tips for writing play reviews:

WRITING THE INTRODUCTION

The introduction should include the following:

• The title of the play, the name of the playwright
• The name of the director, the place and date of the production you attended, and the name of the production company
• The thesis of your review, which should include (possibly in more than a single statement) the following:
  • A general impression of the relative success…of the production, based on what you actually saw and on your initial impression of how the play should have been performed.
  • Note that even if the production did not exactly coincide with your own conception of the play, you should not feel obliged to condemn the performance outright. Be open-minded and willing to weigh pros and cons.

WRITING THE BODY OF THE PAPER: THE REVIEW

For each element that you discuss:

• Describe: In as brief and precise a manner as possible, describe in detail the physical aspects of what you saw performed. Keep in mind at all times that whatever you include must in some way contribute to the assertion you made in your introduction and thesis. Focus on particular scenes or performances that will provide the evidence for your final evaluation of the play.
  • Example: The tempest scene in King Lear utilized a particularly hostile set in order to universalize the suffering depicted throughout the play. The lights were dimmed and the backdrop was flat black. Against this backdrop were propped, in no particular order, seven skulls that looked out over the events to come.
  • Note the vivid description of what was seen, and the use of detail to convey that vividness. The passage will work nicely as evidence for an overall, positive evaluation of the production.
• Interpret, Analyze, Evaluate: This part of the paper requires the most thought and organization and consequently receives the most attention from your reader. After you have finished describing important elements of the production, proceed to evaluate them. For example, you would need to answer the following questions regarding the last description of King Lear:

• • Why were the lights dimmed at the beginning of the scene? (shock effect? slow unfolding of horror?)
  • Why was the backdrop painted black? (contrast? mood?)
  • Why was there no order to the skulls? Why seven? (emblem of disorder or chaos? significance in number?)

In other words, assume that everything used in production has significance, but don’t panic if you cannot find “answers” for all the questions raised by what you see in the production.

In the evaluation, you are given the opportunity to [critique] as well as commend the performance; if the production fails to answer questions that you feel need answers, then say so. If the question or problems are relatively minor, ignore them. Don’t quibble at the expense of missing the more important concerns.

WRITING THE SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

Your conclusion should not merely [restate] your thesis in a mechanical way.

Rather, you should try to show why your response to the play is valid and significant, based on what you have described in the body of the paper.