Download C3. Interpreting Theatre Evaluation of a Live Theatre Performance

The De Montfort School Drama Department
Evaluation of a Live Theatre Performance
You will have experienced a live theatre performance as an informed audience member. You are
required to write an evaluation of the performance that shows you have a working knowledge of
theatre and be able to make critical and evaluative judgments.
What are the functions of a review?
A review should perform the following functions:
 To provide factual information about the production
 To give the reader information about the production
 To place the production in a context
 To evaluate the production
Before you start writing and structuring your evaluation, you must have a sound knowledge of the
following points and questions and how they relate to the production that you saw. Make notes for
the following questions – this will then act as research for your evaluation.
Before the performance
Playwright
Genre of
Play
Historical
Setting
Director/
Company
Venue
Publicity
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New or established?
Previous plays?
Is there relevant biographical information about him/her?
Is the genre identifiable?
What do you know/can you find out about it?
Do you know other plays of this genre?
When was it written?
Is its setting contemporary with this (i.e. is it set at the time it is written)?
What do you know about the period in which it is set?
Are either of these well-known?
Are they known to have a particular approach or style?
What has their previous work been?
Are they influenced by any particular practitioner?
Is it an established venue?
Does it have a reputation for a certain kind of theatre work?
Have you been there before?
What messages do you pick up from the posters/flyers/website/mailshots?
How do text and image combine?
REMEMBER THIS IS AN EVALUATION!
For all the points you make and questions you answer, you must follow the WHAT? HOW? and
WHY?
WHAT?
HOW?
WHY?
What were the effects of the
production decisions on you as
a member of the audience?
How were these decisions put
into practice in the
performance?
Why were the decisions about
interpreting the text taken?
The De Montfort School Drama Department
Evaluation of a Live Theatre Performance
During the performance and straight after
Before the performance, make notes on the following points:
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The space
The atmosphere
The set
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The programme
What is the acting area like?
Where are the audience placed?
What is the actor/audience relationship?
What is the pre-show sound and lighting?
Are there foyer displays relevant to the show?
You may be able to see the set and its architectural features.
What is the use of colour?
Are lights focused on particular features to draw your attention to
them?
Is there a programme?
What is the information?
After the performance, make notes on the following points:
Spatial
Acting area
Visual
Actor/audience
relationship
Set (including scenery)
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Costume
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Props
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Lighting
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Does this change during the performance?
Are there uses of the height or depth
Does this remain constant?
Do actors use the audience space?
Where would you place it on the ‘realistic
to non-realistic’ scale?
Is it a single set, allowing for the
representation of different locations?
Are the entrances/exits well placed?
Is there a strong sense of period style?
Are the colours strong/muted?
Does the set seem to be making a
statement about the play?
Are there different sets for different acts?
Does each setting make a statement?
Apply the last four questions above to
costume.
Do costumes reflect the characters?
Are some characters made to stand out?
Maybe by the use of colour or style?
If characters have more than one costume,
is there some evident progression being
marked by the changes?
Do these blend in with the set, giving
consistent visual impression?
Are there particularly significant props and
are these affectively designed and used?
Is the performance generally brightly or
dimly lit?
The De Montfort School Drama Department
Evaluation of a Live Theatre Performance
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Aural
Recorded sound
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Recorded music
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Live sound
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Special effects
Pyrotechnics, smoke,
etc.
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Stage
management
Scene changes
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Acting
Interpretation
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Direction
Voice
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Movement
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Relationships/interaction
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This takes in all aspects
of the performance
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How does this vary from scene to scene?
Is it effective in contributing to the
atmosphere of particular
scenes/moments?
Is use made of particular colours/angles?
Are there special lighting effects?
Is background sound used? Does it affect
the atmosphere?
Are ‘functional’ sound effects (e.g. cars
arriving) effective?
What kind of music is used? Is it wellchosen and effective?
Does it create a sense of period or
atmosphere?
Does it add to particular sequences or
moments?
What kind of music is used in the interval
id any?
Are any live sounds (doors slamming,
footsteps, etc.) effective?
Does the cast contribute vocally in any way
to live sound?
If these are used, are they effective in
creating atmosphere or moments of shock
etc.?
Are these effectively managed?
Are they consistent with the style of
production (e.g. done by the cast or
stagehands in costume) or are they
functional (stagehands in black)?
Do they seem to hold up the performance?
How does the actor’s interpretation differ
from your impressions from the text, if you
have had the opportunity to read it before
hand?
Is there an overall acting style (this will
affect your answers to the following
questions)?
What use is made of range, volume, etc. at
different point?
Do the voices suit the characters?
Are accents used (and appropriate)?
Is the projection good enough?
How do actors register their characters
through movement and use of space?
Are these as you saw them from the text?
Are there moments in which relationships
are defined or changed?
Are there sequences or moments when
you are aware that the visual, aural and
The De Montfort School Drama Department
Evaluation of a Live Theatre Performance
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Audience
Audience reaction
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spatial elements (as well as the acting)
have been arranged to create particular
effects?
How significant are these
sequences/moments in the overall effect
of the performance? (Endings are
especially important as they leave a final
impression on the audience.)
Are you aware of pace and rhythm in the
performance?
You will be able to tell by laughter,
applause, etc. how the audience in general
is receiving the performance.
Structuring your evaluation
Once you have complied answers to the previous points and questions you can begin structuring
your evaluation.
Introduction
Overview
Main points
Final summing-up
Very brief details of the production you saw: what, when, where, who?
Brief account of your main impressions (e.g. how what you saw differed from
your expectations.
Make sure you explain why.
A paragraph for each, making sure that you include details from the
production and that you analyse the effects of these details and that you
evaluate them.
Focus on some key moments in the production. Make links between aspects
of the production wherever possible (e.g. how the visual aspects relate to the
performances of the actors).
The number of paragraphs will vary, but four or five will probably be enough.
Remember that you can use diagrams and illustrations.
Your choice of main points will be decided by your own main impressions,
however they might include the following:
 The play’s central relationship(s)
 Interpretation of central roles
 The handling of the main theme
 The effect of the ways in which the visual elements combine
 The acting style
 Specific major choices by the director
 The effect of staging decisions
 Actor/audience relationship
REMEMBER WHAT? HOW? WHY?
Keep this fairly brief and don’t just repeat previous information. You might, for
example, focus on one key moment which (for you) summed up the whole
approach to the production.