Review Assignment for Fall Play

Play Review Guidelines and Grading Rubric

A review is more formal than a blog post but is still posted on your blog. It needs to have a title, an introduction, multiple body paragraphs, and a conclusion. It should be 450-600 words in length. 

Be sure to include the title of the play, the author, the date on which you viewed it, and the location. If you have a program, please also include the director and names of the major actors. 

The review should begin with a short summary of the plot of the play and discussion of the major themes. Sometimes, one theme is more prominent than others because the director/actors decided to highlight that, so pay attention to the overall plot points that seem most important. Sometimes, in the program, there is a director’s note that explains the particular approach taken – be sure to read this and think about the examples in the play. Don't spend your entire essay on summarizing the plot — this is not the most important part of a review!

The bulk of the play should discuss the actual staging, performance, and production. For example, consider the following questions: What choices did the production make regarding staging/set, color schemes, costumes, sound, lighting, etc.? What effects did these tech choices have in terms of mood, atmosphere, meaning, etc.? What characters were highlighted as most important and how was this done? What characters were positioned as being similar to one another or opposite to one another and how was that effect achieved? All of these things are part of the overall director’s vision — what do you think the directors’ intentions were for this piece and how was that vision achieved?

Then, choose a moment or two that are memorable to you as a viewer. Describe it/them and explain why they stand out to you — what did the director, actors, designers, etc. create in this moment, and how did you as an audience member respond to it?

Next, choose one actor who was the best on your opinion or your favorite and explain why. Who was the character created and how did the actor work to make this character so successful? Was the actor realistic, believable, natural, comedic, emotional, etc. and how so? What about blocking, voice, gestures, and costuming helped sell this character? Be specific and use examples from the show to back up your points. 

Finally, discuss your opinion of the play. Did you like it or not and why? Did the rest of the audience seem to enjoy it and why? What did you learn about theater from watching this?

Grading Rubric 

Structure of Essay (including title, paragraphs, etc.) — 8 points 

Clarity of Writing and Accurate Proofreading — 8 points

Word Count — 12 points

Short Summary of Plot and Major Themes — 10 points

Review of Staging Choices and Director’s Intentions — 15 points

Discussion of Memorable Moments and Impact on Audience — 12 points

Review of One Actor — 10 points

Overall Opinion — 10 points

Specific Examples and Lots of Details — 15 points