Play Response
Paper details:
READ & FOLLOW CAREFULLY!
STEP 1. Choose Your Performance.
Disney “Into The Woods” logo | Into the woods film, Wood logo, Moose art
Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim “weaves together many famous fairy tales in an allegorical story of family..” (DigitalTheatre.com). PG for themes, fantasy action, peril, suggestive material.
READ: Production Review by Tom Williams
Things I Know To Be True | Carol Wimmer
Things I Know To Be True by Andrew Bovell “examines the dynamics of a family in the face of tragedy.” (StageAgent.com). Strong language, suitable for ages 14+.
READ: Production Review by Limelight Magazine
Pipeline – The Villages Entertainment
Pipeline by Dominique Morisseau ” a provocative play reveals the challenges faced by Black youths.” (Digital Theatre) Ages 13 and up. Scenes of violence, strong language, alcohol, drugs and smoking.
READ: Production Review by Mercedes Hesselroth
Funny Girl (Musical) Plot & Characters | StageAgent
Funny Girl by Isobel Lennart, Jule Styne, and Bob Merrill “based on the life of Broadway star, film actress and comedienne Fanny Brice.” (Digital Theatre) Suitable for ages 10 and up.
READ: Production Review by Catherine Love
STEP 2: Verify Your Performance
You must verify that you have viewed the video performance.
Read the assigned Production Review and all Production Information on the Digital Theatre host page.
View the entire/whole recording of the performance. You may watch the performance recording additional times if needed.
Make notes about performance, Production Review, character names, relationships and plot elements, and special moments in the play.
After you have completed the first watch of the play, locate and take down the SCREEN SHOT with VIDEO TIME STAMPS and TWO (2) corresponding lines of dialogue (what the character(s) are saying) for: exposition, rising action, climax and falling action. Include at the appropriate place – see Question 1.
Step 3: Writing Your Final Assignment (Performance Response)
Addressing the Questions
Describe the performance in detail. It is important to refrain from being general. A theatre performance is ephemeral so what you experienced happened once while you were watching and listening.
Respond carefully with in-depth thought and supporting evidence, details and/or examples. Use specific moments in the play as support & evidence.
Refer to the information on the host web page for for specific production information – cast, director, designers. Some of the information may be in the beginning credits.
Illustrate your knowledge and understanding of terminology (ACT I , ACT II , ACT III, ACT V, ACT VII), theory and concepts from the course.
Formatting Your Essay
Write Four separate essays – one essay on each of the following topics: Dramatic Structure, Theme & Meaning, Design/Tech, and Acting.
Each essay must be saved as a separate document and uploaded to Dropbox.
Answer the main topic question and answer all sub-questions for the topic. Use these to frame your complete response on each topical area.
Each Essay must be AT LEAST 200-WORDS for each question, minimum to achieve a “C” grade in essay length. PERFORMANCE RESPONSE RUBRIC 2021 for specific grading details.
REMEMBER: All student work (written or produced) WILL BE CHECKED FOR PLAGIARISM. See ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT.
Quotes from the play and/or class material sources will not be counted in the overall word count of your Response.
Cover pages, headers, page numbers and References or Works Cited will not be counted in the overall word count of your Response.
DO NOT USE OUTSIDE SOURCES. Use only class material sources.
If you have citations, you must include a reference page “Works Cited”. For citing and referencing class sources, see WRITING GUIDE.
Use this format: 12 pt. font Times New Roman or Calibri, Double-spaced, 1″ margins
PROOF YOUR WORK: Additional points will be deducted for misspellings, lack of punctuation, using improper case use and texting acronyms, and lack of clarity in your response.
STEP 4: ANSWER THESE ESSAY QUESTIONS
QUESTION 1: Describe the DRAMATIC STRUCTURE of this play. See ACT III: CUES & CONCEPTS
Describe EXPOSITION. Scenes, dialogue, narration, etc. Characters involved. (Include SCREEN SHOT with VIDEO TIME STAMP and TWO (2) corresponding lines of dialogue required)
Describe RISING ACTION. Identify the scene(s) and describe character interaction. (Include SCREEN SHOT with VIDEO TIME STAMP and TWO (2) corresponding lines of dialogue required)
Describe CLIMAX. What happens? Characters present. Why is this the climax? (Include SCREEN SHOT with VIDEO TIME STAMP and TWO (2) corresponding lines of dialogue required)
Describe FALLING ACTION. What leads to the resolution? Characters involved? (Include SCREEN SHOT with VIDEO TIME STAMP and TWO (2) corresponding lines of dialogue required)
QUESTION 2. Theme & Meaning: What is the theme of this play (main idea)?
What is the GENRE of this play? Use specific information from the play. ACT III: READING 2. “Genre” pp. 153-168.
How does the theme and meaning of the play relate to and express current culture and values of society?
Explain how these characters in the play and the form of drama is relevant to American Culture today.
USE AT LEAST FOUR TERMS from TERMS: ACT III (The Play).
QUESTION 3. DESIGN: Were the elements of the play unified? How was this reflected in the visual elements (the scenery, props, costumes, lighting, etc.)?
Select ONLY ONE of the following design areas (either Scenic, Lighting, or Costumes).
A. SCENERY – Describe style of scenery – realistic(real house/space) or non-realistic (abstract forms on bare stage)? What was the setting? Did this choice seem appropriate? Discuss the effectiveness of the scenery and the props. What sort of atmosphere did the set suggest? How was this atmosphere created? How was color used in the set? Did it suggest mood or place? Use MORE THAN 5 TERMS from ACT VII: TERMS “Backstage”.
B. COSTUMES – Describe the costumes – Were the characters’ costumes appropriate for the style (realistic or non-realistic)? Did the costumes identify a character’s personality, social status, occupation, etc.? Did the costume help establish who these characters were? How was color used? Did the costumes support the actor’s work (i.e. movement, walk, posture, etc.) ? Use MORE THAN 5 TERMS from ACT VII: TERMS “Backstage”
C. LIGHTING – Describe the mood of the lighting. How was color and intensity (how bright or how dim the lights are set) used to affect mood? What other characteristics of light were used to affect mood? Was the lighting appropriate? Use MORE THAN 5 TERMS from ACT VII: TERMS “Backstage”
QUESTION 4: ACTING: Were the performers believable, given the requirements of the play? If so, how did they seem to accomplish this? If not, what occurred to impair or destroy believe-ability? (As you discuss this, be sure to separate the performer from the characters. For example, you can dislike a character but admire the performance.) Did the technical abilities of the performers support their work? [i.e. vocal traits like loudness and articulation; physical traits like appropriate movement and natural gesturing: believe-ability of specific actions and relationship to other characters? Compare and contrast more than one character. Use MORE THAN 5 TERMS from ACT V: TERcgoMS “On Stage” The Performers.
