“Critique of Live Theatre Production” by E. Seal
c. At the top of the first page, please type the following
instructions:
Your Name
Date
Instructor’s Name
d. Then skip a line and type the title of the production, format the
title to be centered
Example Format:
John Doe
29 August 2015
Professor Seal
Live Theatre Critique of “Romeo and Juliet”
II. What to Write About: (Suggestions, not requirements)
a. First of all, list the date, time, and location of the production you attended. Why did you choose to see this production? What was your initial impression as you were seated? What pre-show music was playing? How many other patrons were seated and what relative demographic attended the show including age and social status? Did anything distracting happen in the audience during the show?
b. Then, summarize the plot of the story. Describe the characters and how the characters behaved. Who were the main characters? What genre was the play? What style? What was the play trying to accomplish?
c. Describe the spectacle. What music, costumes, sets, props, lighting effects, stage combat, choreography, or pyrotechnics were incorporated?
d. Describe the acting and directing. Were the moments onstage believable? How were emotional moments handled? Did any obviously unexpected or accidental events happen? How did the actors create a believable ensemble?
e. Next, if you haven’t already, explain in what ways the play was successful and unsuccessful. Be specific with your praise and criticism. Take, for example, this recent critique from NY Times Critic, Ben Brantley:
“I was recently reminded of the theatrical power of the kiss when I saw the Sydney Theater Company’s superb visiting production of “Uncle Vanya” at the Kennedy Center in Washington. Directed with genius by Tamas Ascher, this inventively visceral interpretation is filled with instances of physical contact in which affection and anger, attraction and repulsion seem to exist in uneasy simultaneity. This is the world of Chekhov, after all, where emotions are paralyzingly ambivalent.”
f. Would you recommend this play to a friend? If so, what kind of friend would you invite to the play and why? Have you seen a movie or another interpretation of this play with which you can compare this production? Did the advertisement match the production values you saw?
e. I suggest ending the critique on a positive note, summarizing your favorite aspect or one highlight of the show.
III. Common Mistakes
Write in the first person. These perceptions are personal so feel free to say “I enjoyed” or “I saw.” Avoid discounting your opinion with “In my opinion” or “If you ask me…” Obviously, this is an opinion paper and I have asked you so do not feel a need to temper your opinions with qualifiers.
An actor’s name is different from a character’s name. Use the actors name when describing the acting but the character’s name when describing the plot. For example, I might say “Judy Garland sang beautifully in The Wizard of Oz.” I would not say “Dorothy sang beautifully, “ but I would say, “Dorothy exclaimed when she discovered the scarecrow could speak.”
Plays ought to be italicized or in quotation marks but not both.
Being vague. “I liked the show. It was good.” These comments are fillers and have no part in an academic paper.