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.