Paper reviewing play "The Diviners" by Jim Leonard Jr.
Perceiving the Arts: An Introduction to the Humanities, Review Chapter 7
Instructional Notes
Image of theater In this lesson, you will select a theatre performance to attend and you will write a review of the event that includes appropriate theatre vocabulary and concepts and your own personal response. Select an event that occurs during this semester. Ideally you will select a performance that occurs after you have completed Lesson 5. This will ensure that you are prepared to analyze the performance using the knowledge you have gained from the material. I will provide specific guidelines for your paper.
Attending a Theatre Event
Review the procedures in lesson 2 for proper behavior "How to be Cool!" during a performance; the same guidelines are true for theatre.
You may select a traditional, alternative, or consumerist play or a musical theatre event. You may use community theatre as well as a highly produced event-sometimes the smaller productions are more satisfying, because they are more intimate, and thus they can be more interesting to write about. Be sure to share the experience with friends or family, and see what happens when you are discussing the play afterwards. You may discover something about them as well as yourself as you talk about the production.
Review of the Theatre Performance
This is a review of the event, so you will need to apply the vocabulary and the concepts that are introduced in Lesson 5 . In addition, you need to include the following details:
•What type of stage space was used for the play?
•Describe the props and sets-were they consistent with the time period of the play and the story?
•What was the idea or theme of the play?
•Were the actors believable? How did they create the illusion of character?
•Did the characters break the fourth wall?
•How did the play connect with you intellectually and emotionally?
As the house lights dim and the curtain goes up, you may feel the excitement of the unknown. Theatre has the ability to transport us deep within ourselves and far outside of our everyday world-this can be unsettling. Tune in all of your senses to the experience, and see where the mystery takes you! Remember that the arts provide us with mediums for looking at our values, hopes, fears, and unasked questions. Let your mind work on the ideas presented in the performance, and try not to get overwhelmed with the experience. Don't devote your entire paper to the plot. Instead, present a thorough review by balancing the story with the other aspects mentioned above. Shakespeare said, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players." What do you think?
Structure of the Review
There are 40 points possible for this paper. Your paper should be double-spaced, 12-point font. The paper should have the following sections and information:
1.Cover sheet: Title of the play, location of performance, date of performance; and your name, course name and number, and date of paper.
2.Body of the paper should be at least two full pages, must utilize appropriate vocabulary and theatre concepts, must address the aspects listed above, including your personal response, and must be carefully edited and proofread; otherwise, points will be lost.
3.Final page: Copy of the complete program and the ticket stub.