Production Analysis Paper
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Production Analysis Papers—25 points each
For each production that you attend, you must save your ticket stub. Use a pen to sign your name across the
front of the ticket. Then, take a photograph or scan it and upload the image file at the end of your response
paper. Without proof of attendance, you will not receive full credit for this assignment. We will not accept
any part of this assignment via email.
Keep your program. We recommend that you keep your program from the show so that you can properly
reference artists’ names in your paper. Failure to credit properly artists will result in a loss of points. Often the
program will contain a note from the director or dramaturg, information that you might find helpful on this
assignment.
Instructions—Read Carefully!
Write an analysis that responds to the prompts below with your original analysis and insight about the play
and its production. We want to know what you thought about what you experienced and saw on the stage, not
what you liked or didn’t like.
Your analysis must express a point of view about the production and must be at least 2 full pages but no more
than 3 pages long. Assume your reader attended the production. Provide context for your discussion and
analysis without retelling the entire plot of the play if a brief synopsis of the story might help you to set up
your arguments.
I. Prompts
• A Design Element. Examine the use of ONE design element in the production. (A design element includes scenery, costumes, props, lighting, sound, or media design). Properly credit the artist whose
work you are critiquing. How did these specific design choices create meaning and contribute to the
world of the play and the storytelling? Use specific moments from the production to support your
aesthetic interpretation and analysis. How does this reinforced the setting of the play or the status, class,
gender, or relationship of a character;
• Choice of a Staging Moment or a Performance or another Point of Interest. You are free to choose
another aspect of the production to analyze; for example, a specific director’s choice, an actor’s
performance, a piece of choreography, or something else that captured your interest. How did this
particular specific create meaning? What does this specific piece of the production suggest about the
production as a whole?
• Issues of Diversity: Examine the politics of the play by choosing an issue of diversity (such as race,
ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, religion, disability) and evaluating its depiction. How does the play’s
depiction reinforce or challenge conventional (traditional) understandings of the issue under
examination? What does this particular issue under examination suggest about the play as a whole?
Do not let the above prompts limit your response; rather, use them to inspire, expand, and deepen your
thinking about the play and its production.
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II. Format
Follow MLA style guidelines: MLA Sample Paper. You paper must contain your name, the course number, your
recitation instructor’s name, and the date, formatted per the example provided. MLA guidelines can be found at
(http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/).
• Give your paper a creative title. • Italicize play titles. They do not belong in “quotation marks.”
• When talking about a production that you have seen, use the past tense.
• You should name each artist whose work you are discussing.
• This is a scholarly paper. Use a formal voice. Avoid slang. Writing should be polished— your grade for presentation includes grammar, syntax, and spelling.
• Proofread. Your writing should be free of typos, misspellings, and other mistakes.
• If you use any sources, be sure to include a citation. This applies to the dramaturg’s program note. Here is the general format for citing a show’s program:
Program Notes. Name of Play by Playwright. Producing Company. Location. Date you saw
the show.
SUBMISSION DIRECTIONS • Upload your production analysis paper and include the image file of your signed ticket stub or
program at the end of your paper (in Word or PDF format only) to the correct Carmen Production Analysis assignment. We reserve the right to refuse late or emailed papers.
• Failure to turn in your paper in a readable format will result in a loss of points.
NOTE: This is an individual, not a collaborative assignment. The essay you turn in should be your own work.
In this course, we use Turnitin originality check on all written work. Avoid plagiarism!
III. Other Tips
Be honest! You do not have to express any particular opinion just to try to please your instructor. But
remember, you must support your opinions using specific examples and thoughtful analysis about the
production. It is not enough just to have an opinion, positive or negative. You must tell your reader why.
Talk about what really interested or excited you about the production!
Grading Rubric:
5 pts A Design Element
5 pts Point of Interest
5pts Issues of Diversity
5pts Presentation (organization, grammar, etc.)
5 pts Proof of Attendance and proper credit to production crew and actors
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IV. Grading Rubric 25 points
Criteria
5
Sophisticated
(Paper goes above and
beyond the
assignment)
4
Skilled
(Paper
successfully
fulfills the
parameters of the
assignment)
3
Competent
(Paper fully meets
the parameters of
the assignment)
2
Fairly Competent
(Paper does not
address some
aspects of the
assignment)
1
Not Yet
Competent
(Paper does not
address the
assignment)
0
No Marks
(Paper
demonstrates no
effort to fulfill the
assignment)
Design
Element
This paper contains an exemplary examination
of a production design element. The writer presents specific and
compelling examples to support his/her aesthetic interpretation. The
argument clearly and compellingly articulates how the design choices
create context and meaning in the world of the play.
This paper
contains a strong examination of a
production design
element. The writer presents
specific examples
to support his/her
aesthetic
interpretation. The
argument clearly articulates how the
design choices create context and
meaning in the
world of the play.
This paper contains an adequate
examination of a production design element. The writer
presents relevant examples to support his/her aesthetic
interpretation. The argument articulates how the design
choices create meaning in the world of the play.
This paper contains a lackluster
examination of a production design element. The writer
engages in description rather than analysis. The
argument consists of opinions rather than critical insights
that articulate how design choices create meaning.
The ideas in this
paper are unfocused,
underdeveloped,
and/or unconvincing.
Argument is
repetitive and
provides no critical
insight.
This paper failed to
fulfill the requirement.
Point of
Interest
The writer choses an exceedingly compelling aspect of the production
to examine. He/She demonstrates keen critical insight about the
significance of this aspect of production.
The argument clearly
and compellingly articulates how this
point of interest informs the play as a whole.
The writer choses an interesting
aspect of the
production to examine. He/She
demonstrates
critical insight about the
significance of this
aspect of the production. The
argument clearly
articulates how this point of
interest informs
the play as a whole.
The writer choses an important aspect
of the production to
examine. He/She demonstrates
insight about the
significance of this aspect of the
production. The
argument articulates how this point of
interest informs the
play as a whole.
This writer’s choice betrays a lack of interest in the
production. He/She fails to provide insight about the
significance of this aspect of the production. Little
effort is made to connect this aspect of the production
back to the play as a whole.
This writer choses an insignificant
aspect of the
production to examine. His/Her
ideas are unfocused,
underdeveloped, and/or
unconvincing.
Argument is repetitive and
provides no critical
insight.
This paper failed to fulfill the
requirement.
Issue of
Diversity
This paper contains an
exemplary examination of an issue of diversity.
The writer presents
specific and compelling examples to support
his/her critical analysis
of the play’s politics. The argument clearly
and compellingly
articulates how the play’s politics inform
the play as a whole.
This paper
contains a strong examination of an
issue of diversity.
The writer presents specific
examples to
support his/her critical analysis of
the play’s politics.
The argument clearly articulates
how the play’s politics inform the
play as a whole.
This paper contains an adequate
examination of an issue of diversity. The writer presents
relevant examples to support his/her critical analysis of
the play’s politics.
The argument articulates how the
play’s politics inform the play as a whole.
This paper contains a lackluster
examination of an issue of diversity. The writer engages
in description rather than analysis. The argument consists
of opinions rather
than critical insights that articulate how
the play’s politics inform the play as a whole.
The ideas in this
paper are unfocused,
underdeveloped,
and/or unconvincing.
Argument is
repetitive and provides no critical
insight.
This paper failed to
fulfill the requirement.
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Presentation This paper is written in
formal language,
consistently uses strong and varied sentence
structure, and employs
precise and unambiguous wording
and coherent and logical
organization. The writing demonstrates
clear enthusiasm for the
topic. All sentences are complete and
grammatical. Paper has
been spell-checked and proofread, and has no
punctuation or
formatting errors.
This paper is
written in formal
language, consistently uses
strong and varied
sentence structure, and employs
precise and
unambiguous wording and
coherent and
logical organization. The
writing
demonstrates an interest in the
topic. The paper is
generally free of grammar, spelling,
punctuation, and
formatting errors.
This paper is
written in formal
language. It attempts to use
varied sentence
structure and precise and
unambiguous
wording. The writing
demonstrates care
for the topic. The paper had one or
more of the
following problems: organization was
difficult to follow;
contained multiple spelling, grammar,
punctuation, and
formatting errors.
This paper is not
written in formal
language and is hindered by one or
more of the
following: disjointed/illogical
organization;
confusing sentence structure; imprecise
or ambiguous
wording; grammar, spelling,
punctuation, and
formatting errors.
This paper has all of
the following
problems: informal tone and language;
poor organization; awkward sentence structure; imprecise
wording; grammar, spelling, punctuation, and
formatting errors.
This paper has all of
the following
problems: informal tone and language;
poor organization; awkward sentence structure; imprecise
wording; grammar, spelling, punctuation, and
formatting errors.
Proof of
Attendance and
proper credit to
production crew
and actors
This paper provides proof of attendance that
is submitted correctly and gives proper credit
to all artists included in
the paper.
This paper provides proof of
attendance and give proper credit
to the artists
included in the paper.
This paper either does not provide
proof of attendance or fails to give
proper credit to
some of the artists included in the
paper.
This paper either does not provide
proof of attendance or fails to give
proper credit to
most of the artists included in the
paper.
This paper either does not provide proof of attendance
or give proper credit to the artists involved in the
production.
This paper fails to provide proof of attendance and fails
to give proper credit to the artists discussed in the
paper.