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Learning Resources:
Richard III
Capabilities: Literacy, Numeracy, ICT, Critical & Creative Thinking,
Personal & Social Capability, Ethical Understanding, Intercultural
Understanding Cross Curriculum priorities: Sustainability
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Contents
........................................................................................................................................ 2
Richard III at Adelaide Festival ..................................................................................... 3
About the Schaubühne ................................................................................................... 4
About Thomas Ostermeier ............................................................................................. 5
Richard III – Schaubühne Theater ................................................................................. 5
Director’s Note............................................................................................................... 6
Learning Activities......................................................................................................... 8
Transformative Text Task (English Literary Studies course) .................................... 9
Essay Questions ......................................................................................................... 9
Essay Writing Tips ......................................................................................................... 9
Review Writing Tips .................................................................................................... 13
Use some new words ................................................................................................... 15
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Richard III at Adelaide Festival
Schaubühne Theater / Thomas Ostermeier
Witness Shakespeare's infamous antihero as you've never seen him: the 2017
Adelaide Festival presents the electrifying Australian premiere of Berlin’s
Schaubühne Theater’s critically acclaimed Richard III.
Eleven years after they first amazed Adelaide Festival audiences with Nora (2006),
this legendary German company returns with director Thomas Ostermeier for an
Adelaide exclusive season at Her Majesty's Theatre in what is set to be one of the
major theatrical events of the year.
Fresh from thrilling audiences at the 2016 Edinburgh Festival, this intensely
compelling interpretation of Shakespeare's classic, starring Lars Eidinger in the title
role, brings audiences up close to one of history's most charismatic villains.
Adelaide Festival Artistic Directors Rachel Healy and Neil Armfield described the
Schaubühne production as a thrilling introduction to Shakespeare’s Richard.
“In this production, Richard is tenacious, brutal and utterly single-minded. There's
nothing lukewarm about it: Ostermeier understands the nature of power and control
and rage. It's an in-your-face, primal experience,” Ms Healy said.
“Lars Eidinger’s Richard is one of those performances I’ll never forget. Fleshy,
charming and with his theatrical hump strapped to his back he just seems so utterly
reasonable. He seduces the audience along with all those with whom he shares the
stage.” Mr Armfield said.
Richard is a deformed, hobbling hunchback who has helped his brother Edward to
become King with a few judicious murders. But the end of the Wars of the Roses
brings Richard no peace. With his brother as king, Richard is fuelled with ambition
and fatal confidence in his powers as he plays his rivals off against each other,
clearing away every obstacle on his own path to the throne.
One of the world's most revered and provocative directors, Ostermeier is famous for
his innovative interpretations of classic plays. He is well known to Australian
audiences, having led the Schaubühne's Australian debut at the 2006 Adelaide
Festival with Nora, his audacious reimagining of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House. He
returned to the Festival in 2008 with the critically acclaimed Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,
and dazzled Sydney Festival audiences with Hamlet in 2010.
Cult German theatre and film star Lars Eidinger (Personal Shopper, Clouds of Sils
Maria) is mesmerising in the title role. Grotesque and disfigured, his Richard is
darkly comic, monstrous yet magnetic as he submits to the inner impulses we all keep
in check.
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With ferocious live drumming from Thomas Witte and a stage design riffing on
Shakespeare’s Globe by Jan Pappelbaum, this is an intensely physical, harrowing
production that digs deep into the nature of evil.
“In all the 70–year history of the Edinburgh International Festival, I doubt if there
has been more than a handful of performances as strange, compelling and utterly
charismatic as Lars Eidinger’s magnificent reimagining of Richard III... (His)
performance comes at the heart of a superb Schaubühne production that features... a
blazingly gifted nine-strong acting ensemble” - The Scotsman
“(Ostermeier’s) dark, sardonic take on the dangerous power of Richard’s charisma is
perfectly realised” - Financial Times
Schaubühne Berlin - RICHARD III
Direction Thomas Ostermeier
State Design Jan Pappelbaum
Costume Design Florence von Gerkan
Collaboration Costumes Ralf Tristan Scezsny
Music Nils Ostendorf
Video Sébastien Dupouey
Dramaturgy Florian Borchmeyer
Light Design Erich Schneider
Puppeteers Training Susanne Claus, Dorothee Metz
Fight Choreography René Lay
Translation and version by Marius von Mayenburg
With Thomas Bading, Robert Beyer, Lars Eidinger, Christoph Gawenda, Moritz
Gottwald, Jenny König, Laurenz Laufenberg, Eva Meckbach, Bernardo Arias Porras,
Sebastian Schwarz, Thomas Witte (drummer)
Fri 3 Mar - Sat 4 Mar, 8pm
Sun 5 Mar, 5pm
Tues 7 Mar, 6.30pm
Wed 8 Mar - Thurs 9 Mar, 8pm
Her Majesty’s Theatre, 58 Grote Street
Duration: 2hrs 30min, no interval
Tickets: $30 - $99 on sale Thursday, 27 October 2016 via BASS 131 246 or
adelaidefestival.com.au
Performed in German with English surtitles.
About the Schaubühne
Hailed as one of the most important theatre companies in the world, the Schaubühne
was founded in 1962. Led by Artistic Director Thomas Ostermeier since 1999, the
company is focused on the steady development of its acting ensemble, the
contemporary adaptation of classic material, and the intensive exploration of modern
drama.
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The company's repertoire encompasses great dramatic works from Greek myths
through Tennessee Williams and Bertolt Brecht, alongside contemporary plays from
internationally renowned writers.
The Schaubühne showcases its productions in more than 100 performances worldwide
every year, with past seasons at the Edinburgh International Festival, Festival
d’Avignon, the Salzburg Festival, the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, the Festival
Internacional de Buenos Aires (FIBA), the Istanbul Festival and the Territorija
Festival in Moscow, as well as at theatres in New York, Paris, Amsterdam, Rome,
Quebec, São Paulo, London, Moscow, Oslo, Ramallah, Melbourne, Ottawa, Taipei,
Tel Aviv, Seoul, Rennes, Barcelona, Tokyo, Prague, Sydney, Montreal and Beijing.
About Thomas Ostermeier
Thomas Ostermeier was born in 1968 in Soltau, Germany. After formally studying
directing at the Hochschule für Schauspielkunst ‘Ernst Busch’, in Berlin, he worked
as both actor and director with luminaries such as Manfred Karge and at the Berliner
Ensemble.
In 1996 Ostermeier was made Artistic Director of the Barracke at the Deutsches
Theater, before being appointed Artistic Director of Schaubühne Theater in 1999, at
the age of 29.
Since then he has directed a wide range of award-winning works for the Schaubühne
including Nora (Nestroy and Politika Prizes, 2003 Belgrade International Theatre
Festival), Hedda Gabler (Audience Award, 2006 Theater-Gemeinde Berlin) and
Hamlet (2009 Barcelona Critics Prize). In 2011 Ostermeier received a Golden Lion at
the Venice Biennale for lifetime achievement.
In 2004 Ostermeier was made Artiste Associé for the Festival d’Avignon, and in 2009
was appointed Officier des Arts et des Lettres by the French ministry of culture, rising
to Commandeur in 2015.
Richard III – Schaubühne Theater
Background
The Play:
Richard is hideous. Born prematurely, he is a deformed, hobbling, hunchbacked
cripple who, on the battlefields of the Wars of the Roses - which flared up after the
death of Henry V - served his family and above all his brother, Edward, well. Now
Edward is king, thanks to a number of murders carried out on his crippled brother's
own initiative. But the end of war brings Richard no peace. His hatred for the rest of
the world, to which he will never belong, lies too deep. And so he does what he does
best and kills some more, clearing away every obstacle that lies in his path to
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becoming king. If fate prevents him from being part of a society of those blessed by
good fortune, he will at least lord over them. He plays off his rivals against each other
with political cunning, unscrupulously exploits the ambitions of others for his own
ends and strides spotless through an immense bloodbath until there is no one left
above him and the crown is his. But even this triumph, purchased with the death of
enemies, allies and relatives alike, still fails to heal the great insult nature has visited
upon him. Alone at the apex of the English kingdom, deprived of all his adversaries,
he now turns his rage on his true nemesis - himself.
Richard III is one of Shakespeare's earliest works, first performed around 1593. But
until this day the title character has lost none of his fascination. His allure lies first
and foremost in his unbridled, single-minded, gleefully exhibited amorality. Richard
is the first in a line of Shakespearean villains whose moral autonomy and virtuoso art
of manipulation appear to be schooled by Machiavelli's The Prince: Iago in Othello,
Edmund in King Lear and the Lady in Macbeth. But the play does not just restrict
itself to the demonization of a psychopathic spree-killer. It is also the portrait of a
power elite torn asunder by internal strife, out of whose midst a perverse dictator
emerges.
Director’s Note
-
Thomas Ostermeier
I cannot say exactly when and how I began considering the idea of putting on Richard
III. There were several related aspects that had fascinated me for quite some time, not
least the idea of the ‘Vice figure’. Robert Weimann, in particular, offers a captivating
exploration of the popular tradition of medieval allegories and morality plays. He
demonstrates that the virtues and ‘good’ allegories gradually stood back while the
Vice figure became ever more prominent on stage. There also seems to have been a
peculiar hierarchy of entering the stage: the virtues entered in the usual way from the
wings or the back, yet the Vice figure came directly from the audience. This idea of a
character who is sent from amongst the audience in order to embody all our dark
desires on stage, and to enact, in a play, everything we are not permitted to do in our
civilised world is most intriguing. It influenced my initial approach towards Richard,
and was one of my main motivations for directing the play: Richard, vicariously, acts
out everything we would love to do but must never do.
I do not believe at all in theatre as a ‘moral institution’, as Schiller suggested, but
precisely a carnivalesque space where we have the jester’s licence to get away with
anything – in particular, with actually enacting and giving in to all the disavowed
aspects of being human that we must not permit ourselves to follow anywhere else. I
feel that it is very important that the spectators honestly trust and admire Richard, and
that they are ready to follow him. I do not think that Richard should ever lose his
credit with the audience, so that eventually the full dimension of his crimes and our
readiness to fall for him become even more available to our experience. What is
interesting is that his amoral excess triggers our own lust, our own desire, and a
production should therefore tease the spectators so much that they, too, wish they
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were Richard for a day, able to let go of any barrier that our civilised world imposes
on our behaviour, and able to ignore any feeling of shame and embarrassment. We all
have a longing for this disavowed abyss of the civilised human society in us - the true
horror of watching Richard III should be the recognition that what we see is actually a
visit to our very own innermost abyss.
A major step in concretely preparing the ground for the production was to
commission the translation by Marius von Mayenburg. As in our previous work,
Marius’ translation aims at making Shakespeare intelligible. It is impossible to
literally translate rhymed blank verse: you have the same number of syllables,
between ten and eleven, to express the same sense, yet German words have a much
higher syllable count than English words. For this purely mathematical reason, you
have to condense or reduce the sense and meaning of every single line. If you
additionally aim, like the famous Schlegel-Tieck translations of German
Romanticism, to preserve the rhyme pattern, you will inevitably end up inventing
some most bizarre linguistic constructions just to make the rhyme fit. This makes any
translation of Shakespeare into German, which tries to retain the form and be true to
the verse, outright incomprehensible. There are then two alternatives: either you serve
the form and invent your own poetry; you will get Shakespeare-inspired poetry, at
least. Or you let go of the verse and the rhyme altogether and instead try to capture the
meaning. Marius’ talent is to go the latter way, while still creating a very rhythmic
language. He primarily concentrates on the sense and uses free, variable rhythm, and
quite often he does in fact arrive at a close approximation of blank verse and its
iambic pattern.
The most important motor for Lars’ portrayal of Richard, and to a large degree also
for our overall approach to the play, is the fact that Richard is hurt and injured by
what he had previously experienced in his life: he is an outsider, he never got
rewarded for being the strongest warrior during all the Wars of the Roses. He sorted
out the bloodiest jobs, but his older brother Edward then refers his new wife Elizabeth
and her kinfolk instead of him. This also causes resentment amongst the old,
established aristocracy at court. A related, major finding of the storytelling, the family
portraits and then our scenic work on the play was to realise how much Richard
exploits this resentment, the prejudice and hatred of these others who also feel
disadvantaged, for his intrigues.
Another important aspect on the production concerns the final act, once Richard has
come to power: he becomes a victim of the so-called 'number one phenomenon'. The
very moment he has achieved everything he becomes his own worst enemy. His
paranoia provokes him to commit even more crass murders. ln his eccentricity, he
overreacts and thereby creates his own enemies who perpetuate exactly what they
have learnt from Richard: if you are disadvantaged but have a strong enough will and
are insidious enough, you can get rid of the tyrant. They repeat the exact pattern that
has led Richard to power. Richard grows extremely lonely as the play goes on, and
when, towards the end, he lies there under his blanket, you might even feel pity for
him.
Overall, directing Richard III has confronted me with a Shakespeare play that is
clearly not as powerful and great a work as Measure for Measure and Hamlet. It is,
for sure, an early play whose dramaturgy is in parts rather scrubby; not least, the
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profiling of the main character and the antagonists is very uneven. Nevertheless, this
play, precisely because it does not present another masterful Shakespeare in all its
virtuosity, poses an even more exciting task for the director, since it confronts you
with so many big challenges.
Learning Activities
1. The program notes for the production refer to Richard as being “the first in a
line of Shakespearean villains whose moral autonomy and virtuoso art of
manipulation appear to be schooled by Machiavelli's The Prince.”
View the following summaries of Machiavelli’s theories and/or conduct your
own research on The Prince:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOXl0Ll_t9s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEgJyCCVUao
To what extent does Richard III represent Machiavelli’s ideas?
2. What elements of Richard’s story can you find in modern day politics?
Consider, for instance, this article from the Washington Post (from March
2016) considering Donald Trump in light of Machiavellian theory:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2016/03/11/okaytrump-may-be-macchiavellian-but-whichmacchiavelli/?utm_term=.4a01006c90e4
3. The real Richard III made headlines recently when his remains were
discovered under a carpark in England and he was subsequently given a proper
burial. Read the following accounts:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-03-23/car-park-king-richard-iii-starts-finaljourney/6339502
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-31990721
4. Find out about the real Richard and compare this with Shakespeare’s
character. Consider why Shakespeare’s portrayal might differ from the
historical evidence.
5. Consider the following statements from director, Thomas Ostermeier. Discuss
the extent to which you agree with the comments and relating to your overall
understanding of the play and the performance:
“Richard, vicariously, acts out everything we would love to do but must never
do.”
“The most important motor for Lars’ portrayal of Richard, and to a large
degree also for our overall approach to the play, is the fact that Richard is
hurt and injured by what he had previously experienced in his life: he is an
outsider.”
“Richard grows extremely lonely as the play goes on, and when, towards the
end, he lies there under his blanket, you might even feel pity for him.”
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6. Act out a scene from the play paying careful attention to tone and
characterisation.
7. Design the set/costumes/lighting for a production of Richard III.
8. Devise a directorial concept for Richard III. Discuss why you made the
directorial choice you did.
9. Translate a monologue from the play into modern English and present it.
10. Write a review of Schaubühne’s production of Richard III.
Transformative Text Task (English Literary Studies course)
1. Write an opinion article / editorial (in the style of a newspaper or magazine)
discussing Richard’s rise to power.
Consider the following example:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/09/how-did-donald-trumpwin-analysis
Essay Questions
1. Discuss how Shakespeare explores the ideas of power and ambition in Richard
III.
2. Show how setting and imagery are used to convey central ideas in Richard III.
3. Explain why a particular scene or incident in Richard III is significant to your
understanding of the text as a whole.
4. Discuss the role that deception of one kind or another plays in Richard III?
5. Discuss how Shakespeare positions the audience towards the central character
in Richard III to explore a range of ideas.
Essay Writing Tips
Writing an essay can seem like a huge task, but with a bit of organisation, a plan and
a breakdown of the essay question, an essay can become a manageable assignment.
Here are some tips to help keep the stress levels down and assist you to write an
essay you can be proud to submit.
Choose a question:

Choose a question you are interested in finding out the answer to.
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
Define your purpose. Is your essay to inform or persuade? Once you have
determined your purpose, you will need to start breaking down the question.

Highlight the key words in the question. These will become the focus of your
essay. These highlighted words will become the focus of your plan. Highlight
words that might narrow the argument down, for example, “between
chapters 1 and 3”, “during the 19th century” or “with reference to the minor
characters”. Use a dictionary to look up any words you don’t understand.

Highlight what the question is asking you to do. Is it ‘discuss’, ‘argue’,
‘explain’, ‘compare’? Does the question ask for personal opinion or
experience? Make sure you keep coming back to these instructions to make
sure you are meeting the criteria.

Don’t Google the question! There may be plenty of answers to the question
online, but that doesn’t mean they’re good/right.
Prepare an outline or diagram of your ideas.

In order to write a successful essay, you need to organise your thoughts.
After you’ve highlighted the key words in the question, jot down your ideas
around them. You can do this either in a mind map, spider diagram, or
whatever way your planning works best. By taking your ideas and putting
them to paper, you will be able to see links between your ideas more clearly,
and this will help to flesh them out with examples and evidence.

A good way to organise the essay is to divide your answer to the question
into three parts. If you’re having trouble finding points ask yourself, ‘what are
three good reasons this answer to the question is the right one’. Those three
reasons become your main points to answer your topic and the ones you will
back up with quotes from the text or examples from the performance.

Note some quotations that may be useful, but also jot down the page
number, so you can ensure the source of the quotes is acknowledged and
referenced if they're used.
Write your thesis statement.

Once your ideas are sorted into relevant categories, you can create a thesis
statement. Your thesis statement tells the reader the point of your essay; it
answers the question. To discover your thesis question, look at your outline
or diagram.

Your thesis statement has two parts. The first part states summarises the
question and the second part answers it, presenting the point of the essay.
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Write the body.

The body of your essay argues your answer to the question or topic. Each
main idea from your diagram or outline will become a separate section within
the body of your essay.

Each body paragraph will have the same basic structure. Begin by writing one
of your main ideas as the introductory sentence. This topic sentence should
have impact, so make it strong. Under your topic sentences, write each of
your supporting ideas in sentence form, but leave three or four lines in
between each point to come back and give detailed examples to back up your
position. Fill in these spaces with relative information (quotes, examples,
evidence) that will help link ideas together. Use words like ‘however’,
‘moreover’, ‘in addition’ to link to the previous paragraph.

Always begin your paragraph with a topic sentence to make clear what the
paragraph is about. For example:
“Playwrights often present similar ideas in different ways. Williamson’s
interpretation of Hamlet is no exception to this.”
“The death of Tom Robinson can clearly be linked to three people.”

Explain your point and give a clear example from the text or production to
support.

Finish each paragraph by linking the idea back to the question.

Embed your quotes effectively and intelligently. Don’t include a quotation for
its own sake, or one that floats amongst your sentences. Integrate them into
the paragraphs with context. For example:
Richard III defends his actions, believing that, “Conscience is but a word that cowards
use” (Shakespeare, Act 5, Scene 3, p14). 
versus
Richard III defends his actions. “Conscience is but a word that cowards use”.
(Shakespeare, Act 5, Scene 3, p14). 

Avoid passive language or sweeping generalisations. You should use strong,
impactful sentences backed up with relevant evidence.
Add an introduction.
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
Now that you have developed your thesis and planned the body of your
essay, you can write your introduction. The introduction should attract the
reader’s attention, show the focus of your essay and answer the question.

Make sure you name any texts to be discussed.
Write the conclusion.

The conclusion should do just that: conclude. No new information should be
brought up in the conclusion and you should avoid using quotes or evidence
in this part. The conclusion brings closure of the topic and sums up your
overall ideas while providing a final perspective on your topic. To write a
strong conclusion, simply review your main points and provide reinforcement
of your thesis.
Polish your essay.

If this is a draft, it is important you are submitting your best work for drafting.
Your teacher should not be seeing the first draft of your work. You should
proofread (reading your essay aloud will help you to find errors) several times
and make sure you are giving a draft that is free of errors. If your teacher is
spending their time adding or subtracting apostrophes, correcting spelling,
telling you to reference or adding inverted commas to quotes, they will not
be paying close attention to the content, which is where the good grades are.
Help your teacher to get you the best grade possible by submitting your best
work for drafting.

Check the order of your paragraphs. Your strongest points should be the first
and last paragraphs within the body, with the others falling in the middle.
Make sure that your paragraph order makes sense and you have effective
linking sentences.

Read the question again. Have you answered it?

Read the assessment criteria. Have you met the requirements?

Have you ‘discussed’, ‘explained’, ‘analysed’, ‘compared’ as the essay
question asks you to do? Have you included personal experience or opinion
in every paragraph (only if the essay question indicates)?

Delete anything irrelevant and stick to the word limit.

Read your essay again (and then maybe again!).
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
You are ready to submit!
Review Writing Tips
While there is no perfect formula for review writing, there are some basic
techniques you should consider in order to write an effective, engaging review. A
review is both a report of an event and an appraisal of it. As a report, it should give
basic factual detail, such as the place and date of the performance, the full name of
the company and the name and author(s) of the text (and the text it is based upon, if
applicable). It is also important to credit the director, costume, set and lighting
designer(s) and actors. Make sure to access a program, rather than try to improvise
without one. Programs often include all the facts you need, as well as directors’
notes, which might help you get an idea of the company's objectives and viewpoints.
When you attend the event you are going to review, make sure you get there in
comfortable time, get your program and get settled in. Look around you a bit; take a
look at the set, if it's visible. See who the audience is and get some sense of their
reaction to the show. Take notes if you can, but you may discover it isn’t easy writing
in the dark. The important thing is that you note your impressions, themes,
moments when the show comes to life, or times when it is unsatisfying.
Prepare yourself beforehand. If it is a classic work, like Richard III by Shakespeare or
an historically recent work like Waiting for Godot- read the play, or at least become
familiar with it. You are not there for the suspense and titillation of the story; rather,
you want to know what they have done with the original production.
In the review itself, don't get caught up retelling the plot - we already know what
happened to Macbeth and Hamlet. But, in the case of a new play, you will need to
give a synopsis of the plot as part of your information. Having said that, the synopsis
should only be brief, and not a bunch of paragraphs recounting the narrative.
Your review is a personal piece and can be in any sequence you wish, but it might be
advisable to start factually and work your way gradually to the evaluative comments.
A sequence like the following works well:

An introduction indicating the name and nature of the production.
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
A paragraph or two briefly outlining what happens.

A paragraph on the director's role - what styles has he/she used, what
interpretation has been imposed?

An account of the performances, the design (costumes, set, lighting) and how
well these aspects highlight the ideas and themes in the work.

Don't generalise - superlatives or condemnation are not much use without
examples. Always try and find an instance which illustrates your point. Don't
just say it was ‘wonderful’ or, worse still, ‘boring’, without accounting for
yourself.

A conclusion appraising the success of all these elements.
Remember that the production sets its own terms of success - within budget,
expertise, the quality of the concept, whether it’s a touring company etc. Be
reasonable within those terms. Be gracious. You are assessing a production, rather
than writing an essay arguing why the company did or didn’t ruin Romeo and Juliet.
You can be honest, but not insulting. You’re not a sit down comedian and your
review shouldn’t be full of clever one-liners. Your task is to give a clear and vivid
account of the performance.
It helps to read other reviews, but not ones on the show you are covering. You
either end up feeling you can't repeat ideas or that you are in a debate with another
reviewer, or sometimes you might inadvertently take those ideas and use them as
your own. Trust you own judgment, it doesn't matter what the others are saying. If
you want to read reviews to get an idea of how some good ones are written, though,
look in The Australian, The Adelaide Review, The Guardian, New Yorker, etc.
Theatre reviewing will help you develop your understanding of drama and the
theatre. It will improve your theatre literacy skills. The task of reviewing will make
you more responsive to what you see and improve your creative and critical thinking
skills.
Theatre reviews should:
 Give an accurate impression of the performance for someone who has not
been there
 Convey a considered, personal judgement of the quality of the experience
 Consider how a text was interpreted.
Here are some other things to mention:
 What kind of play is it? What is it about? Mention the genre and style of the
piece. Is it dance, drama, music? Is it absurdist, realism or contemporary? Is it
elaborate, simple, rough, naturalistic, or a mixture of styles?
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
What is the nature of the theatre experience? You must note your own
responses, but as theatre is a public event, you should make mention of how
others respond, the atmosphere of the evening, and the social context.
Style guide:
This will vary from teacher to teacher, publication to publication, but here are some
things to note
 List the details of the show, theatre, date at the top of the review
 Use the full names of the author, playwright, crew, actors, director in the first
instance. Subsequent mentions must be referenced by surname.
 Use title case and italics for the show name
 Use short paragraphs
 Don’t use too many gushing superlatives (‘amazing’ is way overused. Try
something different – there’s a list below)
 Check your facts: spelling, grammar, dates, names, historical references etc.
 Talk about all of the aspects of theatre (set, costume, design, lighting, script,
direction, music, sound, acting, theatre)
Use some new words
General adjectives associated with performance:
Outrageous, shocking, persuasive, compelling, inspiring, affecting, absorbing, daring,
provocative, obscure, delightful, captivating, morbid, surreal, challenging, nostalgic,
complex, spectacular, chilling, foreboding, enchanting, astonishing.
Words to describe the mood or tone:
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Entertaining, facetious, sensational, didactic, bombastic, forceful, servile, persuasive,
chauvinistic, nostalgic, querulous, guarded, indifferent, sensible, earnest, fervent,
wistful, embittered, detached, sincere, tolerant, jocular, cautious, pensive,
thoughtful, passionate, conservative, arrogant, critical, ponderous, antagonistic,
ardent, admiring, disrespectful, bitter, cynical, satirical, sardonic, sarcastic, quizzical,
ironical, anxious, resentful, disappointing, cautious, neutral, despondent, pessimistic
Words to describe the direction:
Skilled, purposeful, exciting, clever, thought-provoking, challenging, stimulating,
visually exciting, aesthetic, earnest, cautious, sincere, sensitive, sensitive, aggressive,
theatrical, dynamic, confident, bold, adventurous, conservative, lacklustre,
predictable.
Words to describe the set:
Elaborate, realistic, understated, rough, skeletal, simplistic, minimal, abstract,
naturalistic, unrealistic, cubist, surreal, stylised, traditional, representational,
imaginative, lush, dense, open, vivid, jagged, symbolic, shiny, lavish, detailed, sparse,
functional, elegant, delicate, durable, romantic, impressionist, expressionist.
Words to describe costumes:
Outrageous, transforming, flattering, stylish, elegant, chic, bright, dull, plain,
elaborate, ornate, evil, revealing, tailored, period, symbolic, ornate, vivid, lavish,
stylised, colourful, extravagance, simplistic, beautiful, dainty, alluring, luxurious.
Words to describe the makeup:
Skilfully applied, realistic, period, fantastical, shocking, simple, elaborate, vivid,
stylised, abstract, traditional, clever, minimal.
Words to describe sound:
Menacing, rhythmical, repetitive, haunting, eerie, overpowering, complementary,
engulfing, pulsating, lapping, trickling, swishing, blaring, lyrical, grating.
Words to describe lighting and effects:
Simplistic, minimal, abstract, eerie, dull, gloomy, bright, majestic, shocking,
forbidding, shadowy, luminous, flickering, twinkling, hypnotic, pulsating, flashing,
thematic.
Words to describe style and/or genre:
Comedy, classical, symbolic, expressionistic, absurdist, naturalistic, representational,
tragic, comic, satirical, melodramatic, surreal, period, traditional, contemporary,
existentialist, avant-garde, romantic, allegorical, farcical.
Words to describe character:
Miserly, clumsy, careless, conceited, cocky, ambitious, mean, merciful, confident,
generous, gracious, greedy, gregarious, garrulous, noble, needy, humble, grotesque,
irritable, lazy, loyal, patient, pragmatic, placid, serious, eccentric, quarrelsome,
industrious, petulant, enlightened, reliable, determined, cruel, arrogant,
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sophisticated, slovenly, vivacious, cantankerous, fussy, obsessive, unpredictable,
neurotic, uncouth, vicious, mature, shrewd, insular, feminie, effeminate, calculating,
callous, self-indulgent, flippant, jaded, compassionate, zealous, brash.
Words to describe performance:
Dynamic, disciplined, pedestrian, uninspired, complex, flat, skilful, agile, versatile,
emotive, compelling, surprising, delightful, demanding, under-stated, lively,
energetic, restrained, inspired.
Words instead of ‘good’:
Capable, quality, fine, adept, accomplished, masterly, skilful, seasoned, vigorous,
adept, high-standard, superior, skilled, proficient, choice, sound, supreme,
prominent, pre-eminent, potent, important, distinguished, illustrious, influential,
awe-inspiring, grand, splendid, majestic, monumental, resplendent, brilliant,
impressive, magnificent, imposing, enjoyable, profound.
Words instead of ‘effective’:
Powerful, practical, emphatic, moving, affecting, compelling, competent, impressive,
potent, striking, telling, cutting, penetrating, sharp, successful, efficacious.
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