Play Review Assignments

Mrs. Tobiason's
Theatre I and Advanced Theatre
Classes

Grading Rubric
Word / PDF

Due Dates: Mark your calendar now!
     •Film/Play review for Quarter 1 is due: Friday, October 26
     •Play review for Quarter 2 is due: Friday, January 11
     •Play review for Quarter 3 is due: Thursday, March 27
     •Play review for Quarter 4 is due: Thursday, May 15

Note: If you are an actor or tech crew member for a play during the school year, you may substitute a performer/crew member reflection for the play review for one of
the play reviews. See teacher for requirements of this reflection.

F.Y.I. School Performances:
     •The Diary of Anne Frank performs Thursday, November 8-Saturday, November
        10 (Qtr 2)
     • Honk! performs Thursday, March 6-Saturday, March 8 (Qtr 3)
     •The Advanced Theatre One Act Plays perform Friday and Saturday, May 9 &
        10 (Qtr 4)

Requirements:
     •Your review must be a minimum of 2-3 typed pages, double spaced, in 12
         point font. Please proof read your paper for spelling and grammatical errors!
     •You must include information about where and when you saw the show in
         your introductory paragraph.
     •You must include a ticket stub or a parent signature on your paper saying that
         you did indeed see the performance on that date.
     •You are allowed to review a movie for your first (and only your first) review.
        Your movie selection must be school appropriate. If you would prefer to see a
        live theatre performance, you may do so.
     •For quarters 2, 3, and 4, you must see a THEATRE PRODUCTION. In order to
         be a THEATRE PRODUCTION you must see a live theatrical performance
         with actors. You must have seen the play during the 2007-2008 school year. All
         of the following count as THEATRE PRODUCTIONS: school plays, church
         plays, community theatre plays, improvisation showcases, and professional          plays or musicals.

What do I write about?
     •Your paper must include a brief plot summary. Remember that you are writing
         for an audience that has never seen this play before, so you must provide
         context. This is also the place to discuss the theme (main idea) of the play. Tell
         us about important characters and conflicts, but do not give away the ending!
     •You must tell us what you thought about the performance. This is the most
         important part of your review. Give your opinion and then support it. Describe
         what you saw and heard using similes and metaphors (interesting language).
         Here is a list of questions you can answer to get you started...
                1. Did I like this production? Why or why not?
                2. Was there a particular performer that did an outstanding job? Why?
                3. What did I observe about the directing? Could I see and hear everything?
                4. Were the actors interesting to watch on stage?
                5. Did the costumes and make-up help to set the time and place of the play?
                6. Was the set realistic, detailed, or interesting to look at? Was it a stationary
                     set or did it change?
                7. Did lights and sound create a certain kind of mood? What was it?
                8. Was there a particularly powerful scene or song? What made it
                     entertaining?
     •Finally, write an appropriate headline that captures the essence of the show.

Note: You may, of course, answer questions besides the ones found above, but these should get your thoughts rolling. Remember, you need to create a picture of what
you saw so we can live through your words. Talk in specifics and examples!

     •Offer a recommendation as to whether we should go and see this play. What
         type of person might enjoy it? Who might it not be appropriate for?

Other places to look for play information:
     •Theatre room bulletin boards will have posters for other Howard County High
        School performances and community shows.
     •www.hcpss.org/arts/theatrearts/events.shtml --From here, you can search
        performance dates for all schools through links.
     •www.helenhayes.org                        w                       • www.baltimoreperforms.org
     •www.washingtonpost.com                 i                     • www.sunspot.net
     •www.srbnet.com (MD community theatres)         • www.repstage.org (at HCC)
     •www.marylandtheatre.org                                         •www.olneytheatre.org

Grading Rubric   Word / PDF

If you see any typos, errors, or outdated material, please email the webmaster.
To add updates or new articles to this web site, please email: kevin_watkins@hcpss.org.

Hammond High School
8800 Guilford Road, Columbia, Maryland 21046
410.313.7615, FAX: 410.313.7632
A Howard County, Maryland Public School

If you are looking for Francis Hammond High School in Alexandria, Virginia, please visit this site.