Streaming Options to replace
Live Theatre
Here are the streaming options for the LIVE theatre
critique. YOU MUST SELECT ONE OF THESE,
AS THEY ARE CAREFULLY CHOSEN TO REPLICATE THE AUDIENCE EXPERIENCE. Most of these are musicals, but the plays are
really current and cutting edge. These
were all filmed before a live audience, so there is some similarity to seeing
it live. RESEARCH THE TITLES, SO YOU CAN
SELECT A SHOW THAT SOUNDS APPEALING TO YOU.
There are a wide variety of streaming platforms listed, in order to make
it more accessible.
Musicals:
HAMILTON the
musical – Disney+
SHREK the musical
(Not the animated version) –Netflix ( my choice)
BILLY ELLIOT the
musical LIVE – Amazon Prime, Google Play, iTunes
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS
the musical – Amazon Prime, Google Play
RENT (the final
Broadway performance – NOT the 2005 movie version) –Amazon Prime, Google Play,
Vudu, YouTube, iTunes
LEGALLY BLONDE, THE
MUSICAL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiX-EJA8n4w&feature=youtu.be
Shakespeare:
ROMEO & JULIET: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=9&v=wFBWXRqa7Gs&feature=youtu.be
Plays about racial Injustice:
TWILIGHT
LOS ANGELES 1992 (a one-woman show built and performed by Anna Deveare Smith,
based on verbatim interviews, deals with the LA Riots following police
brutality) https://www.pbs.org/video/great-performances-twilight-los-angeles-1/
UNTIL THE FLOOD (this is Dael Orlandersmith’s one-woman show that she wrote
and starred in, following the Ferguson shooting—very similar to Twilight:
Los Angeles, but with a more recent horrifying event): https://allarts.org/programs/all-arts-performance-selects/until-the-flood-wtcesv/
answering ALL QUESTIONS below:
ing To the Theatre
List the title of the play you attended, the theatre that was putting it on, and the
date and day of the week that you attended.
• Describe the environment (what was the space like) or atmosphere (what
was the vibe like) of the theatre.
• Describe the location of your seat in relationship to the stage.
• Describe the audience. What was their general age, how did they dress, and
what was the energy of the crowd upon arrival?
• Describe the design aspects (set, lights, sound) that are noticeable before the
play begins. (This can help us shape our expectations. For example, if there is
a giant stone cross onstage, bathed in red light, and they are playing somber
organ music, it may not be a comedy).
• Describe how these first impressions shape your expectations.
What Was It About
• What was the play about? What do you think the author of the play trying to
communicate to the audience? Was there a lesson or moral?
• Which character changed the most and how did they change?• Describe the genre (category) of the play. Was it comedy, tragedy,
melodrama, tragicomedy or musical? Some plays defy traditional genres. If
that is the case, or if you are unsure, describe the genre in your own words.
• Was it realistic or nonrealistic or somewhere in between? (Remember to
evaluate the 5 aspects of realism: plot, characters, language, environment
and style).
• Did you identify with one of the characters? If so, describe this character and
why you identified with him or her.
Design Aspects
• What information was conveyed by the scenery about time, place,
characters, and situation?
• How was this information conveyed to you (give examples)?
• What type of “world” was it?
• Address these same questions with regard to lighting, sound and
costumes. Make sure to give specific examples when talking about
each design element.
• Did the design aspects seem appropriate to the production? Why or why
not? Be specific.
Assessing The Performance
• What was the production attempting to do?
• Did the artists achieve this goal?
• Was the attempt worthwhile? Why or why not? (These are the most
important questions, as they allow us to be more objective. For example,
if you determine the production was a silly comedy attempting to make
us laugh and forget our troubles for 2 hours, assess whether or not the
artists achieved this goal. If you laughed and the rest of the audience
seemed to have a great time, perhaps they did achieve their goal. You
might rather see a play with more substance, and, if so, the next
questions would be a place to talk about whether you “liked” it or not).
• 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?
• 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?
Overall Experience
• How did your experience compare to your expectations?
• What was the reaction of the audience? Was it similar or different to
your reaction?
• Did the experience leave a lasting impression? If so, describe in what
way.
• Based on this experience, would you go to the theatre again? Why or
why not
In general, the breakdown of the paper should be: (Please follow this breakdown)
Introduction
Identify the goal of the play*
Overall impression of the play
(These above 3 items should collectively be between 15% and 20% of your critique)
Summary of Plot. (This should be no more than 30% of you critique)
Spelling and Grammar
Production Elements – 4 required (Acting, Directing, Set Design, Lighting and Costumes) (This should be the largest portion of your paper / 30-35%)
Conclusion (at least 50 Words) Please restate the goal of the play and if it was achieved)
I am looking for YOUR opinion and analysis of the play. There are no right and wrong answers when it comes to your opinion and analysis. The only thing you can really do wrong is to not analyze the play (see bottom of page 23).
The three biggest mistakes that students make are:
1-write too much about the storyline (plot) and too little on production elements.
2-not write 2,000 words.
3-not have an opinion
*The goal of a play is what the audience is supposed to learn or take away from the performance. The goal of most plays is something deeper than “The goal was to entertain the audience” or “The goal was to make you laugh”. Although, for some comedies and some musicals, the goal might be able to be summed up so succinctly. Even in those cases, you could explain why you think the goal was that simple.
For Romeo and Juliet, the goal might be: To make the audience think about the impact of 2 two family’s hatred of one another on their children.
For Star Wars the goal might be: To show that good will conquer evil, and do it the edge of your seat, adventurous style.”
For Black Panther the goal might be: To show the audience that fear of the unknown is not a reason to hide behind your borders, that open sharing of culture and advancement helps everyone.
Please review the following play critique. The word count is less than your requirement as this was for another class with a different expectation.
Overview
Your introductory samples are the first stage of a process that should lay the foundation of future successful strategic communication scriptwriting; that is, screenplays that clearly, completely, concisely communicate a client’s message. In order to do so, it is essential that you grasp the fundamentals of formatting; since the script is to the production as the blueprint is to the building or the score is to the symphonic recording, bad formatting leads inevitably to a bad outcome.
Instructions
You have reviewed both the narrative and the split column formats. Your assignment is to write a sample page in each. For this assignment, you are to concentrate on producing the format perfectly.
Both samples should include two scenes and two characters, each of whom speaks at least one line. The split column must also include two different shots.
Since we are working in a medium where time is of the essence, the assignment has a maximum page limit rather than a minimum. For this assignment, you are limited to no more than 3 pages for the two scripts combined (excluding the cover page).
I have uploaded the formats to give examples, however, the FINAL FORMAT document is the one that needs to be replicated.
Analysis Essay #2
Learning Objectives
Analyze the
play from the Designer’s point of view
Assignment Description
The
purpose of this assignment is to analyze the play SWEAT by Lynn Nottage from
the Set Designer’s point of view, and write a 2-3 page essay based on the essay
format.
Directions
FORMAT FOR
ESSAY #2
All essays
must be in paragraph form as stand-alone assignments. Spelling and grammar are considered, so it is
important to take time to write a paper that flows. I suggest you group these Essays into the 3
sections listed below. The essay must be
typed using double-spaced 12-inch font.
Analyzing
the Play
What is this play about? Describe the major themes and the human
change in a few sentences.
Is the play realistic, or nonrealistic, or somewhere
in between? (Remember to evaluate the 5 aspects of
realism: plot, characters, language, environment and style).
What is the location (city/state) and time period of
the play? What type of research would
you look for to inspire the design?
How many different locations does this play
require? Describe them.
The World
of the Play
What type of world is it? Find at least 3 of your own descriptive
words. (Example:
friendly, welcoming, harsh, fluffy, fragile, rough,
etc.)
What type of people live in this world?
How would these descriptions influence the
design? Would it affect the colors, textures,
etc.?
How important is the environment to the
story-telling? Why?
What
Choices would you make?
What type of theatre
space would you prefer to use? Why?
If you could only fully
realize one of the sets, due to space and/or budget, which one
would you choose, and why?
How would you propose changing the scenery? Depending on the space available,
would some locations roll in or fly out? If so, please describe which one(s), and how
you would attempt to change the scenery.
Are there any big changes required for the main
set? If so, how would you facilitate the
transformation, considering the scenes that come before it?
Rubric 75
points
Developing
Competent
Exemplary
Quality
of writing
The written text demonstrates a
confusing arrangement of paragraphs, a lack of transitions between
paragraphs, or a confusing arrangement of ideas within paragraphs. The
disorganization makes it difficult for a reader to understand the text’s
ideas. There are spelling and
grammatical errors.
The written
text demonstrates a generally clear arrangement of paragraphs, a generally
clear use of transitions between paragraphs, and a generally clear
organization of ideas within paragraphs. The organizational logic assists a
reader’s understanding of the text’s ideas.
There are few spelling and/or grammatical errors.
The written
text demonstrates a logical arrangement of paragraphs, a logical use of
transitions between paragraphs, and a logical organization of ideas within
paragraphs. The organizational logic enhances a reader’s understanding of the
text’s ideas. There are no obvious spelling or grammatical errors.
15-20 points
20-25 points
25-30 points
Analyzing
the Play
Missing multiple Exemplary
criteria. Not all questions are
considered.
Missing 1-2 Exemplary criteria
The written text
effectively expresses;
·
Major
themes and human change.
·
Character
analysis and justification.
·
Location
and research.
·
All
questions are given detailed consideration.
5-9 points
9-12 points
12-15 points
The
World of the Play
Missing multiple Exemplary
criteria. Not all questions are considered.
Missing 1-2 Exemplary criteria.
The written text effectively defines
the world of the play, and the role of the environment. All answers are well supported.
5-9 points
9-12 points
12-15 points
What
choices would you make?
The written text vaguely addresses
the student’s choices of theatre space, prioritizing and changing scenery.
Answers are not supported.
The written text addresses the
student’s choices of theatre space, prioritizing, and changing scenery. Answers
are somewhat supported.
The written text effectively
addresses the student’s choices of theatre space, prioritizing, and changing
scenery. All answers are well
supported.
5-9 points
9-12 points
12-15 points
Materials and Technology Needed
You must read the play SWEAT by Lynn Nottage for this assignment.
Discussion Board 2
Module 2 – Playwright’s Process
Learning Objectives
Examine and express the process of the playwright.
Assignment Description
This assignment is designed to introduce you to the various ways playwrights work. The videos illustrate many ways to approach writing a play. Your response to the videos should summarize and illustrate one of the approaches. Perhaps it is the approach that you would use to write a play.
Directions
Watch the videos and decide which approach to writing makes the most sense to you. Craft a careful explanation that illustrates your understanding of the playwright’s early process. Submit the 3-4 paragraph to Discussion Board 2, using the title: Playwright’s Process.
The movie can be found on Netflix. Please do not use any other sources except for the movie
PLOT: Did the timetable and sequence of events unfold in a way that made
you want to keep watching? Why?
DICTION: Did the dialogue articulate the story of the characters and theme?
Did it fit the world of the play?
THOUGHT (Theme): What do you think the playwright was trying to say?
CHARACTERS: Were the characters believable? Did they fit the world of
the play? Was the acting effective?
MUSIC (music, sound, special effects): Did it help the story? Where the
sound effects life-like or stylized? Or both?
SPECTACLE (lights, set, costumes, make-up, special effects): Were the lights life-like
or atmospheric? Why? Was the set realistic or metaphoric? Why? Did the costumes and make-up work for the characters and the world of the play? Were there any special effects (ie, Projections, etc.)? Did they fit the world of the play? How did all of the visual aspects work in telling the story?
DIRECTION (core concept, high concept): What story do you think the
director was focusing on? Was it effective?
PRE-PLAY: Did the preshow atmosphere help to draw you in? (I know you are not actually at theatre for this so do the best you can with it)
PLAY: What was the conflict[s]? Was the resolution[s] satisfactory?
POST-PLAY: What did you take away from the experience?
