Download Live Theatre Review - Mundelein High School

Live Theatre Review
3rd and 4th Term 2009
You are required to see and review two (2) live plays throughout the course of the two
terms of this class. One paper will be due each term. One of the papers needs to be from
a play outside of school. The other paper will be on a MHS show.
Outside show - Any live production of a play or musical will work (not opera, ballet,
improv, stand-up comedy, performance art or music concert). You can go to another high
school (Libertyville, Stevenson), see a community theatre production (Kirk Players,
P.M.& L), see a college show (CLC, Harper, DePaul) or see a professionally produced
local show (Marriott, Goodman, Steppenwolf) or see one of the Broadway touring shows
(Wicked, etc.). If finances are a consideration, see me in private and I will arrange
something for you. A copy of the show program or a ticket stub must accompany the
paper when you turn it in. If you have any doubt about the suitability of the show, check
with me before you see it. This will avoid the problem of you spending money on a show
and not being able to use it for your review.
MHS show – The MHS show you will be reviewing is Fiddler on the Roof. This show
runs on April 30, May 1 & 2 at 7:00 PM and on May 3 at 2:00 PM. You will receive a
complimentary ticket for the show. The winter play, Up the Down Staircase, cannot be
used for your live theatre review. You are highly encouraged to see this show and will
have the opportunity to write a mini-review for credit. This play runs February 5, 6 & 7
at 7:30 PM.
Due Dates -
Term 3 (Outside Show) – Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Term 4 (Fiddler) – Friday, May 15, 2008
Papers are due by 11:59 PM on the due date. That means you can e-mail me your papers,
but bear in mind that I will accept no excuses for papers not arriving on time. If you wait
until 11:50 PM to send it to me and the e-mail does not go through, that is the risk you
run for waiting until the last minute. My e-mail address is [email protected].
Papers turned in late will be worth half credit. No papers will be accepted past the last
regular class day of each term.
Requirements - Each review is worth 25 points. Papers should be three pages in length,
double-spaced, typed, 12-point font. Papers not conforming to theses requirements will
be docked a letter grade. Papers not typed will be worth half credit.
Content of the paper should be as follows:

Tell me about the venue (where you saw the show). Describe the theatre,
its physical characteristics. How well did the theatre work with the show?
Was it a thrust, proscenium or arena? Why did you select this particular
show and this theatre?

Describe the play. Was it a comedy, serious drama, etc. Tell me about the
plot. Include some background of the play and the author (you will have
to do a bit of research for this). Describe the characters in the play.

Give me your opinion of the show. How was the acting? The directing?
What worked and what didn’t work? What might you have changed to
make the show more successful? Be specific. “I really liked it, they were
good” isn’t going to get you very far. Was the production successful in
getting across the theme of the play?

Analyze the technical elements of the show. Describe the sets, lights,
costumes and make-up. Were all cues executed smoothly? Did the set
and lights help set the mood and atmosphere? Were the color choices
consistent with the tone of the production? Describe and analyze all
technical elements, including the house staff. Did the show start on time?
Was the theatre professionally managed? Was everything clean and ready
for an audience?
If you follow this outline you will do fine on the paper. Each of the sections above
should be roughly the same in length. Don’t spend two pages describing the plot of the
show and one page on the analysis. This is an opinion piece, so you will not be graded
on what you think, only on how well you present your opinions. Feel free to add
anything that you think will help give me a complete picture of the show you saw. Be
sure your compliments and criticisms are specific and grounded in some kind of
information that we are covering in class. While it is not the priority of the paper, I
expect these to be well written. Make sure you use complete sentences and paragraphs
with topic sentences. Watch the grammar and the spelling. I am an English teacher too,
you know! The most important thing is to enjoy the show you are seeing.