Remember, this critique is your opinion. I am looking for your personal, honest reaction to the production. Do not give a plot or story summation. You are writing the critique with the assumption that the person reading it has seen the same play/musical that you have seen. I want your specific reactions to the theatrical aspects of the production. Your grade does not depend on whether or not you liked the performance, but how specifically and clearly you state your opinion and support it. When writing the critiques, I will be looking for the use of vocabulary we’ve used so far in the semester. (Ex: Characters wear “costumes” not “clothes”.) It doesn’t matter to me (in the critique, at least) whether you do or don’t like this type of play or whether you did or didn’t like the play itself. What I care about is that you support your opinion with specific examples and proper terminology. Here is a guide for things to consider: The critique should be a minimum of 3 full pages in length, typed, double-spaced, and in 12 pt. font. (If you cover the 12 topics required, you should have no problems with meeting this minimum page length.) No more than 1″ margins. Your paper should include a cover page (with the title, your name, date, class number, etc.). Do not include a header on your first page of your paper. I have included an example template if you need one for reference. You can copy/paste and use it as a guide for your critique. Spelling and grammar are a consideration. Play/musical titles should always be underlined (Ex: Our Town). Even play or musicals titles within in your own critique title. (Ex: My Critique of Hairspray, a Hair Raising Good Time!) Be sure to distinguish the difference between the actor and the character in your written critique. (Ex: “John Smith’s Willy Loman was intense” or “Willy Loman, as portrayed by John Smith, was intense” would be accurate.) You might be able to find a cast list for this production online, either included on the video link or by searching online for that specific cast. If you absolutely cannot find the cast list, refer to them as “the actor playing (character name)”. Avoid being vague! The more specific you can be, the better! If you think an actor’s performance was effective, be very specific in explaining why you hold that opinion. Refer to specific moments and specific scenes from the play in supporting your opinion. You will need to address the following 12 topics (in bold) in your critique. Each topic needs its’ own paragraph. Do not include the topic number in your critique. You want your critique to read like an essay and not a detailed outline. You do not have to answer every single question in italics. I suggest picking one or two to answer in order to fulfill your 12 required topics. Required topic paragraphs: 1. What play did you see? Give the title of the play, date of performance (if you can find it online) and name of the playwright. (You should be able to find this information online since there is no Playbill/program for it) 2. What is the Genre? Is it a Comedy, Tragedy, Farce, Romance, Romantic Comedy, etc? If it was a Comedy, what kind? Give specific reasons why this play/musical fits the description of that genre. 3. What was the message, or theme, of the play/musical and how does this apply to social responsibility? What should society learn from this play/musical? What is the play/musical attempting to teach? Do you agree or disagree with it? 4. What is the play/musical’s setting? What is the time period? What environment/locations does the play provide? (You’ll also discuss the set design and prop design later in the critique. This is just describing the overall setting description.) 5. Who are the main characters? Which characters does the play/musical focus on? What types of characters are they? (Antagonist, Protagonist, etc) 6. What is your overall opinion of the play? Did you like it or not? Why? Was there a character or scene that helped shape your opinion? 7. What did you think of the acting? Are the actors believable as the characters? Were they spontaneous? Were they consistent? Do they work well with the other actors in creating an ensemble? Which actor most pleased you and why? (Note: Not which character was your favorite…but which actor did you think did the best performance.) Which actor pleased you the least? Be specific. 8. What did you think of the costumes, make-up, and hair design? What were the characters wearing? What did it say about that character? Did it help define the time period of the play? Did the costume serve as exposition in defining the character’s personality or as a mood for the character? How did hair and make-up contribute to the definition of character? What were your favorite and least favorite costumes (Again, in terms of most appropriate costume…not which you personally would wear or not wear.) 9. What did you think of the set and prop designs? What type of space was this theatre? Does it serve as a backdrop or a metaphor for the character’s lives or situation? Did it seem appropriate to the style or time period of the play? How successful was it at creating an environment for the characters? How was color used on the set to aid in telling the story? How well did the props contribute to creating the world of this play? 10. What did you think of the sound design? Was the sound design helpful in creating a sense of place or in evoking the world of the play? Was the sound design well executed? Were there Environmental sound effects used? Were there Motivated sound effects used? 11. What did you think of the lighting design? Did the lights contribute to creating the world of the play? What information did the lights give about the time, place, characters, mood, and situations in the play? Did you find the lights functional, distracting, or emotional? Were there any moments or scenes where the lights were particularly evocative? How was color used in the light design to aid in the telling of the story? 12. What was your personal response to this theatre experience? Did it meet your expectations? Did it exceed them? Did you find yourself wishing that you could have played one of the characters? If so, which one? Would you have wanted to direct this play/musical? Written Critique Grading Rubric Topic 1: 7% Topic 2: 7% Topic 3: 7% Topic 4: 7% Topic 5: 7% Topic 6: 7% Topic 7 Paragraph 1: Discuss the musical you saw Paragraph 2: Discuss the genre of musical Paragraph 3:Discuss the message/theme of musical and how it applies to social responsibility Paragraph 4: Describe the setting/time period/environment/ location of musical was set in. Paragraph 5:Discuss the character in the musical Paragraph 6: Overall opinion of musical Paragraph 7: Discuss about the acting Paragraph 8: Discuss costumes, makeup, and hair Paragraph 9: Discuss set & pop designs Paragraph 10: Discuss sound design Paragraph 11: Discuss lighting design Paragraph 12: Discuss personal response to the theatre experience.
