Theater

Final Review Question guideline to help you formulate thoughts and well-structured opinions. The Script • What is the play? - Title and Author's name? (titles of plays are italicized, do not use quotations or underline) • What is the play about in a general basic statement – do not give anything away? • What was the genre of the play? Comedy, tragedy, farce, melodrama or tragicomedy? Explain and state why you

think it is? Please look this up if you do not know. • Was the text realistic or nonrealistic? Explain? • Describe the structure of the play; was it climactic (intensive)? Was it episodic (extensive)? If you are unclear, do

some research? • What is the theme of the play? • What was the author of the play trying to communicate to the audience? Did the author try to communicate more

than one message? • Did you agree with the point of view of the play? Why or why not?

Directing • Was the story clearer or easier to understand because of the directorial concept? Explain. • Did all the elements of the production seem to be unified and fit together seamlessly? Consider the design

elements. • What are your thoughts on casting choices? • Did the pace or rhythm of the production seem right? Did it drag or move swiftly? Did one scene follow

another quickly or where there long pauses and interruptions?

Acting • Were the actors believable, given the requirements of the play? If they were believable, how did they seem to

accomplish this? If they weren't believable, what occurred to impair or destroy their believability? (be sure to separate the performer form the role)

• Identify the performers you considered most successful. Cite specifics from the production, note what they did well: particular gestures, lines, or moments. Try to describe each performer so as the five the reader a clear image. For example, how did the performer's voice sound? How did he or she interpret the role?

• Make sure you use the actor's name, not just their character name. • If there were performers you did not like, identify them and explain why you did not like them. Give concrete

examples to explain why their performances were less successful. • Discuss how the performers related or failed to relate to one another. Did they listen to each other and respond?

Did any actor seem to be "showing off" and ignoring the others? Scenery • Who was the set designer? • What type of space is this? • What do you think of the choices, concepts that both the director and set designer made? • Is it effective? • What information was conveyed by the scenery about time, place, characters and situation? How was this conveyed

to you? • What was the overall atmosphere of the setting? • Was the setting a specific place, or was it no recognizable or real locale? Did that choice seem appropriate for the

play? • If the setting was realistic, how effectively did it reproduce what the place would actually look like? • Were there symbolic elements in the scenery? If so, what were they? How did they relate to the play?

Costumes • Who was the costume designer? • What information was conveyed by the costumes about time, place, characters, and situation? How was this

information conveyed to you? • What was the period of the costumes (please google this and give me the appropriate time period)? What was the

style? Where the costumes from a period other than the period in which the play was written or originally set? If so, how did this affect the production? Why do you think this choice was made?

• How was color used to give you clues to the personalities of the characters? • Did each character’s costume or costumes seem appropriate for his or her personality, social status, occupation,

etc? Why or why not? • Did the costumes help you understand conflicts, differing social groups, and interpersonal relationships? If so, how?

Lighting • Who was the lighting designer? • What information was conveyed by the lighting about time, place, characters, and situation? How was this

information conveyed to you? • Describe the mood of the lighting. How was color and intensity used to affect mood? What other characteristics of

light were used to affect mood? Was the lighting appropriate for the mood of each scene? Why or why not? • Was the lighting realistic or nonrealistic? • Were the actors lit properly? • Where light changes made slowly or quickly? How did this affect the play? Did it seem right for the play?

Sound • Who was the sound designer/composer? • What element of sound was used? Reinforcement, background, underscoring, effects? • Did the element of the sound enhance the mood, story and plot or did it detract from it? • Was the sound realistic or nonrealistic?