Play Review

Theatre Art 100 / Theatre Art 101

Online Play Review Guidelines

This is a guideline for all theatre performances you see during the semester. The purpose of this play review is to tell the reader what the play is about, how well (or not) it was produced and whether, in your opinion, it is worth seeing.

· I have created many links in a Canvas module to online play recordings for you to choose from. If you find something else online that is a play or musical, ask me for permission and send me the link first, before you watch it to make sure if it will be acceptable for a review.

· Your play review should be in an essay format 2-3 pages in length, typed and double-spaced.

· Your grade is based on your complete analysis of the production following all points in the guidelines, and I also pay attention to spelling, grammar and punctuation. Make sure to use detailed description to support your opinion when writing about directing, acting, design, etc.

· You can make an appointment with the OCC Writing Center to have a tutor meet with you online and go over your rough draft.

· OCC Writing Center tutors are available for help on any writing assignment you are given at OCC.

· You can earn up to 5 extra points (on your two required reviews only in THEA A100) by turning in the signed tutor form with your review.

Paragraph I- Opening statement and opinion

This paragraph should include the following

Introductory information:

· the name of the theatre

· the name of the play (capitalized and underlined)

· the name(s) of the playwright(s) (For a musical there may be multiple people. They may be called the librettist or writer of the “book”, and also called the composer/writers of the music, songs or lyrics.)

· the date the show was recorded, if you can find it.

· Include the link to the show if you are reviewing a show I did not post in Canvas for you.

Genre information:

· What is the genre of this play? What type of play is it: a comedy, tragedy, realistic drama, musical, melodrama, etc? See your textbook for definitions.

Your general statement of opinion about the play.

· You will support this statement throughout the review. (ex: “I thought this drama was interesting but a bit confusing at times, and needed better acting. However, Cynthia Corley’s costume design made it all worthwhile.”)

Paragraph II- Plot Summary

Give a brief synopsis of the action of the play.

· One short paragraph should be enough.

· Who are the main characters, where and when does the play take place, what happens in the play, and how does it end?

· -This should be an overview, not too detailed. It shows me that you understand what happened in the play.

Paragraph III- Theme

What theme or themes does the playwright want you to think about?

· Support your statement with examples of action, character or dialogue in the play.

· Why do you think the playwright wrote the play?

· Why do you think the director chose this play to direct?

· What did you find of value in the play?

Paragraph IV- Directing

· How was the directing in this production? Be descriptive and detailed

· Name the director.

· If this is a musical, name the musical director and choreographer also. (I have included the names in the Canvas link when I could find the names. If you can’t find the names, discuss their work without naming them).

· Give your opinion on:

· Casting: Was the cast suited to their characters? (Were any of them too old/young/tall/ inexperienced, etc… to fit the role?) Did the actors’ acting or singing abilities seem adequate for their roles?

· Staging/ Blocking/ Choreography: how well was the stage space used? Was the movement/ action/ dance interesting to watch and helpful in making sense of the play? Could you see everything clearly? Did the placement of the characters add to the interest of the play?

· Pacing: was the pacing too fast or slow?

· Dance: discuss the choreographer’s work if this is a musical with dance.

· Singing: discuss the singing quality if this is a musical.

· Ensemble effect: did the actors seem to work well together? Did they all seem to have the same goals and acting abilities/styles?

· Directorial interpretation: if there was an obvious director’s concept, was it interesting and did it serve the script well? Not every show will have a lot of directorial concept added to it.

Paragraph V - Acting

· Discuss at least three notable actors and the roles they played.

· Describe them by their character names if you cannot find the cast names anywhere online.

· Describe the three individual acting performances (not the characters the actors played, but how well they each played those characters)

· Why do you think the actors did a good (or bad) job?

· Were the characters well-interpreted?

· Was the acting believable?

· Did they speak well?

· Did they seem mechanical or natural in their movements? If reviewing a musical, how was their singing and/or dancing?

· (ex: Ross Jacobs’ exaggerated acting seemed too melodramatic compared with the others in this realistic drama. Sarah Benjamin’s comic timing was a highlight of the show.)

Paragraph VI -Design

· How was the design in this production?

· Describe briefly and discuss ALL design elements: scenery, light, sound and costume. (If there were projections used discuss them also)

· Are there any design aspects you especially liked or disliked?

· Did the designs make sense?

· Did they add to the overall effect of the play?

· Was it interesting to look at and well-executed?

· Did the design provide a specific mood, or reflect a particular style?

· Did the designs accurately reflect a specific place or time?

· Were there any special effects?

Paragraph VII- Summary and personal evaluation

· Summarize your review.

· Make a closing opinion statement about the play and the production.