800 words essay

Writing Assignment Theatre 120, Comm-B

Production Element Focus: Scenery Production Critique: Laughter on the 23rd Floor     Objective:                               Write  a  descriptive,  analytical  paper  that  explores  how  the  scenery  for  Laughter  on  the  23rd  Floor   effectively  (or  ineffectively)  helps  tell  the  story  of  the  play.     Method:                               First,  practice  basic  theatre  etiquette.  Arrive  at  least  20  minutes  early  to  collect  your  tickets  from  the  box   office  and  find  a  seat.  Turn  cellphones  and  all  other  technology  off.  Do  not  take  notes  during  the  play;  it  is   distracting  and  discourteous  to  both  the  actors  and  other  audience  members.       Pay  attention  to  the  entire  play—not  just  the  production  element  you  were  assigned.  Get  a  sense  of  the   overall  unity  of  the  production,  and  how  the  scenery  ties  into  that  or  perhaps  contradicts  it.  Get  a  sense  of   the  plot  and  the  play’s  style.  In  what  place  and  time  period  is  it  set?  Is  the  visual  style  realistic  or   surreal/fantastical?  Do  the  actors  interact  effectively  with  each  production  element,  or  do  they  seem   separate  or  extraneous  to  the  action?  Does  the  interaction  with  the  scenery  enhance  or  detract  from  your   experience  of  the  play  as  a  whole?       Jot  down  notes  as  soon  as  you  can.  There  will  be  one  intermission  halfway  through  the  play,  use  both  this   time  and  take  time  at  the  end  of  the  play  to  write  specific  examples  for  use  in  your  paper.       When you write your paper: In  preparation  for  beginning  your  assignment,  review  all  of  the  specific  examples  you  wrote  down  from   the  performance.  Based  on  your  examples,  develop  an  informed  opinion  about  how  the  design  and  use  of   scenery  contributed  to  the  play.    This  will  become  your  thesis  statement.    For  information  on  thesis   statements,  check  out  the  UW  Writer’s  Handbook  at  this  link:   http://www.writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Thesis_or_Purpose.html     Support  your  thesis  with  detailed  descriptions  of  the  examples  you  collected.  Make  your  language  as   specific  and  vivid  as  possible.  A  helpful  structure  to  follow  is  to  1)  describe  your  example  objectively,  2)   offer  your  subjective  opinion,  and  3)  articulate  whether  or  not  this  choice  was  effective  in  benefitting  the   production.     Example:  At  the  opening  of  Trifles  the  men  and  women  entered  the  stage  at  the  same  time  through  the   upstage  door  in  the  center  of  the  wall;  however,  the  men  advanced  downstage  in  front  of  the  furniture   while  the  women  remained  upstage  to  the  left  the  door,  standing  behind  the  table  and  chairs.  This   immediately  established  the  gender  dynamics  in  the  world  of  the  play.  The  men  and  women  interacted   with  the  scenery  in  a  way  that  effectively  established  the  unequal  relationship  between  the  male  and   female  characters.     Example:  Before  the  action  began,  the  audience  could  observe  a  kitchen  with  a  wooden  table,  antique   stove,  and  a  few  cabinets  on  stage.  The  appliances  were  not  contemporary,  nor  were  the  furnishings   expensive;  this  led  the  audience  to  immediately  interpret  the  kitchen  as  that  of  a  moderately  poor  family,   set  at  least  fifty  to  one  hundred  years  in  the  past.  

  The  same  way  you  would  cite  a  written  source  in  a  paper,  always  give  credit  to  the  director,  designers,   and  actors  if  you  specifically  reference  their  work.  This  information  can  be  found  in  the  program  for  the   production.       Example:  At  the  start  of  the  play,  Nora  (played  by  Nell  Gwyn)  trimmed  the  tree.     This  is  a  formal  paper.  Please  consider  formatting,  grammar,  and  syntax  when  writing  your  paper.   Before  submitting  your  paper  be  sure  to  proof  read!     How your paper will be graded: Thesis:       Your  paper  offers  the  reader  a  thesis  that  articulates  a  specific  and  supportable  point  of  view  about  the   use  of  space  in  the  production.    Your  thesis  counts  for  10%  of  your  grade.       Examples  and  Analysis:   Your  paper  provides  vividly  described  examples  of  how  specific  moments  of  staging  were  effective  or   ineffective  in  supporting  your  experience  of  the  play.  For  each  example,  your  paper  analyzes  how  it   supports  your  thesis.    Examples  and  analysis  each  count  for  35%  of  your  grade  (70%  total).     Style  and  Mechanics:   Your  paper  displays  good  organization  and  structure,  careful  and  varied  word  choice,  correct  spelling  and   correct  grammar,  and  meets  the  three-­‐page  requirement.    Style  and  mechanics  count  for  10%  of  your   grade     Form:   Your  paper  follows  paper  format  specified  on  page  3  of  your  syllabus.  Following  correct  form  counts  for   10%  of  your  grade.