Play

TRE1110 The Theatre Experience
PLAY CRITIQUE Guidelines
The critique should be at least 2 – 2 ½ pages. See hints on page two for spacing/type
choices. This should be written in a standard persuasive essay/critique format, the norm
for our discipline. Your work should be appropriately academic in tone and structure
but, because criticism is deeply personal and reflects the aesthetics of the writer, you
may use some conversational speech (within reason.)
The following are three important questions that a critic should ask throughout a
critique. They should be considered a rubric for judging individual choices as well as the
work as a whole.
I. What is being done?
II. How is it being done?
III. Is it worth doing?
Specific questions that must be addressed in your critique are:
1. What was the playwright trying to say with this play? (theme) What was his/her
purpose for telling this story this way? (plot/structure)
2. What did you like/appreciate about this production?
3. What would you suggest be done differently in this production? For the purpose of
this course, you must address this in your critique. (“I don’t know what could be done
differently.” or “It was perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing.” are not acceptable answers for this
class.) You can clarify if your observation is unnecessary nitpicking.
4. Provide specific observations in which the expectations that you have (based on what
you have learned in this class thus far) were illustrated, supported or rejected. This
question will reflect your knowledge of theatre in critiquing a work. It should become
more sophisticated as the class progresses and I expect increasingly more depth in your
second and third critiques.
5. What overall value did you find in this production? Was it worth recommending to
others? Explain your answer. (You may identify a specific target audience or individual.)
10 HINTS (Or, the road signs to the land of better grades.)
1. Support your statements. Ask yourself whether a statement is backed up by example or if
it is hanging in the breeze. Your answers need to be thoughtful and complete.
2. Proofread twice. Your computer program has a spellcheck feature. Please use it. Afterward
re-read your critique before turning it in. (Your computer doesn’t know that you meant to use past
instead of passed.)
3. Don’t trust Word’s grammar feature but please, I beg you, use it if your own grammar feature
is insufficient.
4. Do not write a synopsis of the play. Only offer a synopsis of action when it is necessary
for explanation or clarification.
5. It is better to write a strong critique of select aspects of the show that support your
statements/opinions than a weak critique of all aspects. Don’t generalize. Focus.
6. Yes. The critique needs to be at least 2 – 2 ½ pages. I’m okay with more. If you are
thinking of writing a 90-page treatise or a novel, it may take me significantly longer to grade.
7. You cannot dodge question #3 by answering, “I wouldn’t change anything.”
8. Try to maintain an appropriately academic tone. Avoid conversational phrases and never
use the following words: “Well, I’m not really qualified to judge this…”
9. Remember to process your work through the “three important questions
of the critic.”
I. What was being done?
II. How was it being accomplished?
III. Was it worth doing?
10. Your paper must be typed in double-spaced 10-12 pt. Times New Roman,
Helvetica/Arial or some approximation of those fonts. Only. I’m a font junky so please don’t test
me. (Hint: I know which fonts are wider, too. Plus, since you will be submitting this electronically, it will take
me mere seconds to check.) Also, if you type your paper in Comic Sans or Papyrus, you will make me
cry terrible, non-cathartic tears of rage.
Fun Fact: All TRE 1110 documents are typed in Gill Sans.