Guidelines

Due Monday, May14th

You will need to attend a *live theatre production and write a review based on the following:

*It must be a play or a musical. NO dance concerts, ballets, circus shows, Blue Man Group, etc. If you have questions, please ask.

THE ASSIGNMENT

Evaluate the way in each aspect of the production either contributed or detracted from the quality or the believability of the production.

I want to know about the following (15 pts each):

• The Acting
• The Set
• The Lighting
• The Costumes
• The Props and Sound

You must use specific examples to back up your explanations. Examples, examples. examples!!

I am NOT looking for a synopsis of each scene or even the play. I want a review of the production qualities.　

FORM

The introduction should include the following (5 pts each):

• The title of the play
• The name of the playwright
• The name of the director
• The city, venue, and date of the production you attended
• The name of the production company (if any)

Please note: If you don't provide the date and place of the concert, your paper will not be read or graded. It's your job to look over your paper and make sure all information is included.

EXPRESSING YOUR OPINION

You are not graded down for expressing and defending your honest opinion. Be sure, however, to state your opinions in clear, concise sentences and in well-organized paragraphs.

It is not enough to state that "Suzie did a great job in the role." You must explain exactly what was "great" about her work. Did they transform into the character? Were they believable? Were they convincing? Were they subtle? Were they compelling? Were you able to escape into the production? Did they do anything that was jarring like overact, mug, or break character? Did it seem like the set design and the costume design didn't match or compliment eachother…like the designers were on completely different pages? Did it seem the costumes detracted from the characters wearing them? Why?

For more help on how to write your review, visit http://mason.gmu.edu/~jjohnsto/musicdramahelp.htm

And another note: Performances you've seen in the past are not acceptable. It must be a performance you see during the course of this class.

If seeing a live performance is absolutely impossible, you do have an alternative. You must see two taped, live performances and write a full review for each of them.

• If you rent the performances, you must include the date of the rental and the name and address of the movie rental business.
• If you watch the performances on TV, you must include the date and time watched and the channel.
• If you borrow the videos from someone, you must give their name and phone number and the date you borrowed and watched it.
• If you watch a video online, you must give the date and time watched, and the URL.

*You must submit your essay by doing the following:

• Go to www.turnitin.com
• Create a student account
• Submit the assignment under the correct assignment heading.
• The class ID is: 4696694
• The enrollment password is: theatre

Please do not create a cover page. Put your name on the top right-hand side of the paper.

Your essay should be at least one full page and no more than two pages (12 font, 1 inch margin, double spaced).

Please be aware that I grade on grammar and spelling. If I have to try and decipher what you're trying to say, then it takes me twice the time to grade the content of the paper. Take the 2 seconds it takes to do the spell/grammar check on your computer and look over your paper for mistakes.

Be alert to the following:

• One who does "playwriting" is a "playwright"
• Play titles are either underlined or italicized. Do not put them in quotation marks.
• Be careful to distinguish between the actors and the characters. You are given a program for each performance, so use appropriate, correctly spelled names in all cases.
• Be careful to distinguish between the play itself and the production of the play
• It is extremely advisable to keep a copy of your paper as insurance against its loss or destruction. Make sure to "save" your paper often as you write it.

Please submit as a file upload. If you copy/paste your assignment, the format won't look right when I receive it.

It's also best for you to save your document in Rich Text Format (RTF). That way, no matter what word document program you have, I can open your paper.

IMPORTANT!!! - Make sure that after you submit your assignment to TurnItIn, you receive and save your receipt from the site. Without it, you will have no proof that you submitted it if there is an issue.

When I finish grading the paper, you will be able to see your grade and my comments on TurnItIn.