Writing Homework Help

Your Final Paper is graded on the below FOUR SECTIONS. Be sure to use specific details and examples in your critique .****

Format: (25 points) Papers must be submitted via the link TURNITIN on the CANVAS site. Papers must be a minimum of 2 pages, maximum 3 pages, SINGLE SPACED, 12 pt. font, HELVETICA or TIMES NEW ROMAN. The paper should not exceed 3 pages. Heading must have NAME, DATE, COURSE. Using 1st person (“I thought”… “In my opinion”…) is ONLY used for part 4. Part 2 and 3 must use third person writing. With the 3rd person, the narrator is often invisible — observing and narrating about someone or something else silently. (Example: “It was interesting when…”, “The set design seemed to capture the bold and dark qualities of the metaphor of a terrifying nightmare.”

The Play: (50 points) These questions are about the play itself. What significant themes does the play seem to touch on? What is the overall message of the play? What are the main character’s objectives (what do they want and what are they trying to do?) Is there anything about the play that contemporary audiences can connect to?

The Production: These questions are about the actual production that you watched. This part of your paper should include each section below:

Space: What type of theater was it? How large or small was it? How opulent or elaborate? How simple or modern? What type of stage did it have: proscenium, thrust, arena, or some other type? How did the stage space relate to audience seating? What was the size and shape of the playing space? What sort of atmosphere did the space suggest? How was that atmosphere created? Did the space seem to meet the needs of the play? Did it affect the production, and if so, how?

Acting: Were the actors believable, given the requirements of the play? If they were believable, how did they seem to accomplish this? If they weren’t believable, what occurred to impair or destroy believability? (As you discuss this, be sure to separate the performer from the role. For example, you can dislike a character but admire the performance.) Identify the performers you considered most successful. Citing specifics from the production, note what they did well: particular gestures, lines, or moments. Try to describe each performer so as to give the reader a clear image.  For example, how did the performer’s voice sound? How did he or she interpret the role? How did they use their body in performance? Were you able to hear and understand the actors? Did they use clear articulation and strong projection? If there were performers you did not like, identify them and explain how they were affective or ineffective, believable or not believable. Give concrete examples Acting is more than a collection of individual performances. The entire company needs to work as a unit (this is sometimes called ensemble): each actor must not only perform his or her own role but also support the other performers. Discuss how the performers related or failed to relate to one another. Did they listen to each other and respond? Did any actor seem to be “showing off” and ignoring the others?

Directing: The director unifies a production and frequently provides an interpretation of the text. Did there seem to be a unifying idea behind the production? If so, how would you express it? How were you able to see it embodied in the production? Was it embodied in striking images or in the way the actors developed their performances? (You should be aware that this can be one of the most difficult aspects of a production to evaluate, even for very experienced theatergoers.) Did all the elements of the production seem to be unified and to fit together seamlessly? How was this reflected, in particular, in the visual elements—the scenery, costumes, and lighting? How did the director move the actors around onstage? Were there any moments when you felt that such movement was particularly effective or ineffective?  Were entrances and exits smooth? Was the action focused clearly and easy to follow? Did the pace or rhythm of the production seem right? Did it drag or move swiftly? Did one scene follow another quickly, or were there long pauses or interruptions? Were the actors cast appropriately to their respective parts? Did characters fit together in believable family groups, relationships, etc.?

Scenery: What information was conveyed by the scenery about time, place, characters, and situation? How was this information conveyed to you? What was the overall atmosphere of the setting? Did any colors dominate? How did colors affect your impression of the theater event? Was the setting a specific place, or was it no recognizable or real locale? Did that choice seem appropriate for the play? If the setting was realistic, how effectively did it reproduce what the place would actually look like?Were there symbolic elements in the scenery? If so, what were they? How did they relate to the play?

Costumes/Hair and Makeup: What information was conveyed by the costumes about time, place, characters, and situation? How was this information conveyed to you? What was the period of the costumes? What was the style? Were the costumes from a period other than the period in which the play was written or originally set?  If so, how did this affect the production? Why do you think this choice was made? How was color used to give you clues to the personalities of the characters? Did each character’s costume or costumes seem appropriate for his or her personality, social status, occupation, etc.? Why or why not? Did the costumes help you understand conflicts, differing social groups, and interpersonal relationships? If so, how? Did the hairstyles reflect the time period and help establish characters? Was the makeup appropriate for the time period? Did it work to convey the character’s facial expressions? Was there any special effects makeup used in the production?

Lighting: What information was conveyed by the lighting about time, place, characters, and situation? How was this information conveyed to you? Describe the mood of the lighting. How was color and intensity used to affect mood? What other characteristics of light were used to affect mood? Was the lighting appropriate for the mood of each scene? Why or why not? Was the lighting realistic or nonrealistic? What was the direction of the light? Did it seem to come from a natural source, or was it artificial? Did this choice seem appropriate for the text? Were the actors properly lit? Could their faces be seen? Did the lighting focus attention? Were light changes made slowly or quickly? How did this affect the play? Did it seem right for the play?

Properties: Where the props appropriate for the play? Did they help to establish the time period, location, and status of the play and characters? Were they any props that were special effects? Did any of the props seem inappropriate? Were they cumbersome or interfere with the actors’ ability to perform? 

Sound: Were sound effects used in the production? Did they help to establish time, location and mood or atmosphere? Was music used as underscoring or for scene transitions? Did the music help establish the mood and atmosphere of the production? Did it go with the overall production? Was amplified sound used for the actors via microphones or body microphones? Was the sound consistent? Were there any distractions with the sound?

Singing and Dance (or movement): Was the choreography appropriate to the play? Did it entertain and help establish characters through movement? Were the dancers competent in their movements? Were there any moments that were memorable? Did the actors have the required singing skills to convey the songs? Were their voices strong and did they stay on pitch? Did they have the necessary projection of sound? Was the movement believable? Did the actors seem connected to their bodies and how they move through the environment? 

4) Personal Response: Here is the section of your paper where you are free to share your thoughts and opinions of your overall experience, particularly if you have something to discuss that has not yet been covered in your paper. Was the production successful? Effective? Moving? Why or why not? 

****For section 2 and 3 (The Play/The Production) you must write in THIRD PERSON. For section 4 (Personal Response) you may use FIRST PERSON. It is expected that you reference terms, techniques, and concepts of live theatre.