Play Critique: Much Ado About Nothing

The introduction should include the following:

• The title of the play, the name of the playwright
• The name of the director, the place and date of the production you attended, and the name of the production company
• The thesis of your review, which should include (possibly in more than a single statement) the following:
  • A general impression of the relative success...of the production, based on what you actually saw and on your initial impression of how the play should have been performed.
  • Note that even if the production did not exactly coincide with your own conception of the play, you should not feel obliged to condemn the performance outright. Be open-minded and willing to weigh pros and cons.

Writing the Body of the Paper: The Review

For each element that you discuss:

• Describe: In as brief and precise a manner as possible, describe in detail the physical aspects of what you saw performed. Keep in mind at all times that whatever you include must in some way contribute to the assertion you made in your introduction and thesis. Focus on particular scenes or performances that will provide the evidence for your final evaluation of the play.
  • Example: The tempest scene in King Learutilized a particularly hostile set in order to universalize the suffering depicted throughout the play. The lights were dimmed and the backdrop was flat black. Against this backdrop were propped, in no particular order, seven skulls that looked out over the events to come.
  • Note the vivid description of what was seen, and the use of detail to convey that vividness. The passage will work nicely as evidence for an overall, positive evaluation of the production.
• Interpret, Analyze, Evaluate: This part of the paper requires the most thought and organization and consequently receives the most attention from your reader. After you have finished describing important elements of the production, proceed to evaluate them. For example, you would need to answer the following questions regarding the last description of King Lear:
• • Why were the lights dimmed at the beginning of the scene? (shock effect? slow unfolding of horror?)
  • Why was the backdrop painted black? (contrast? mood?)
  • Why was there no order to the skulls? Why seven? (emblem of disorder or chaos? significance in number?)

In other words, assume that everything used in production has significance, but don't panic if you cannot find "answers" for all the questions raised by what you see in the production.

In the evaluation, you are given the opportunity to [critique] as well as commend the performance; if the production fails to answer questions that you feel need answers, then say so. If the question or problems are relatively minor, ignore them. Don't quibble at the expense of missing the more important concerns.

Writing the Summary and Conclusion

Your conclusion should not merely [restate] your thesis in a mechanical way.