Introduction to the Theatre

THE 101 / University of Idaho

Chapter 5 / Writing Theatrical Reviews

     One of the requirements of this Introduction to Theatre course is to write two production evaluations of two different theatrical performances.   These responses are to provide an opportunity for you to express informed and intelligent opinions about a live theatrical experience, while also incorporating and applying the vocabulary and concepts presented in class.   The following format and guidelines are suggested for these assignments.   You will be asked to evaluate the way in which three theatrical elements either contribute to, or detract from, the overall production.   These will be assigned by the instructor from among the areas of: acting, directing, producing, playwriting, and scenic, lighting, costume, and sound design.

     The production evaluation is an important assignment.   It allows you to apply the principles and concepts that you have learned in class.   You will analyze your own reactions in order to understand your perceptions of the play and then express yourself with clarity, style, and effectiveness.   You will develop and use good standards of theatrical criticism.   The superior production evaluation is an expression of your thoughts and emotions.   It is also thoughtful, honest, and careful.   The superior production evaluation is a well-composed and supported argument.  In addition, you will want to tailor your review to an audience who has not seen the play.  This is the reading audience to which you will be making the critical assessment.   Since this will be based on your developing aesthetic sensibilities, you may want to ask these questions of yourself:

Are you being open to unfamiliar subjects, ideas and conventions?

Are you being too judgmental on issues of morality different than your own?

If there are subjects you feel should not be on stage, can you subjectively evaluate the play, and temper the review with the understanding that art is an expression?

What standards you are applying?

Why did you choose them?

     Moreover, critical responses, whether professional or casual, ultimately involve these three major questions:

What was attempted? 

How fully was it accomplished?

Was it worth doing?

     Additionally, a review will usually contain these facts and elaborations:

What play was performed?   Who was the playwright?   What background information on the playwright is necessary in understanding the play?   When did the performance take place?   Will there be additional performances?   Who was involved in the production that you wish to note?   Were any of the actors, the director, or the designers noteworthy (Not all may be note-worthy to you)?   What were the apparent goals of the script and the production?   How effectively did the director achieve these goals?   Did the actors achieve those goals?   Did the designers achieve those goals?   Should others see this production? Why?

     These evaluations will be graded on form as well as content and you are expected to adhere to the following rules and guidelines.   Reviews must be typewritten, using 8 ½ x 11 unlined, white bond paper.   Reviews must be double-spaced with at least 1 inch margins all around the text.   Your review must be stapled in the upper left-hand corner.   No paper clips, tape, or torn & turned corners will be accepted and only high quality, dark, dot-matrix or laser jet printed papers are acceptable.   Your name, the date, and the title of both the review and the play should appear at the top of the first page.   A cover page is unnecessary.   Of course, papers that do not adhere to this assigned form will be penalized.

     As for length, please limit your review to a maximum of four (4) full pages and a minimum of two (2) full pages.   With one-inch margins all around the text, there should be 25-27 lines per page.   As educators, we will not only be concerned about your developing an understanding of theatre, but also the articulated expression of that understanding.   In short, you must use proper English.   To that end, the paper must be free of spelling and grammatical errors.   Anyone turning in a paper that has not been “proofed” (fresh out of the typewriter or printer) will undoubtedly turn in a paper full of grammatical, spelling and typographical errors.   Mistakes in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence construction show careless writing and will result in less than maximum credit for the assignment.

     Here are some past repeated mistakes on reviews that you should aware of: Do not use “preform” when you mean, “perform."   “A lot” (many) is two words no one.   Actors put ”makeup” on their faces (one word, do not hyphenate).   One who does “playwriting” is a “playwright."   “Theatergoer” or “playgoer” is spelled as one word.   Play titles are either underlined or italicized.   Do not put them in quotation marks or in all upper-case letters.   Contractions are generally inappropriate to the style of writing required for production evaluations.   Always put quotation marks outside the punctuation.   Both male and female performers are referred to as actors - there are no gender specifications.   Be careful to distinguish between the actors (the performers) and the character (the roles they play).   At each performance you will be given a program.   Use the program to help you correctly identify the production participants and to correctly spell their names.  

     In addition, be careful to distinguish between the play (as written by the author) and the production (as presented by the particular theatre organization).   Be conscious of gender specific pronouns.   Try to construct sentences that do not rely on he, she, him, her, etc.   It is extremely advisable that you keep a copy of your paper as insurance against its accidental loss or destruction.

     Finally, you are not graded down for expressing and defending your honest opinions.   Your views are your own.   You will not get a better grade for favorable comments or a lesser grade for negative remarks.   Write what you think.   Be sure, however, to state your opinions in clear, concise sentences, and in well-organized paragraphs.    Consider the production evaluation your best attempt at making a compelling argument for your opinions.    Keep in mind that it is not enough to state that “the acting was fantastic, but the scenery was inappropriate and unexciting.”   You must explain what was “fantastic” about the acting using specific examples to back up your explanation, and you must explain exactly why the scenery was “inappropriate and unexciting.”   Since you are the writer, it is unnecessary to introduce every opinion with “I felt that…”   Opinions and observations that are particularly incisive, astute, original and well supported are hallmarks of the superior paper.