The Play's the Thing

Going to the theater

What to watch for:

Stage set

• How elaborate or how simple are the scenery and props
• Does this add or take away from the play?
• Do you really believe the actors are in the location?

Lighting

• What kind of lighting is used?
• What effects are achieved through lighting?
• Do these effects add to the drama?

Music

• Is there music?
• If there is, does this add feeling to the scenes?
• How much is the music integrated into the scenes?

The quality of the acting

• Do you really believe the actor is the character he/she is portraying?
• Is there any over-acting?
• Which actor,in your opinion, is the best?

Live Theater

• What's the theater like?
• Do you feel like you are part of the action?
• Or do you feel like you are observing the action from a cool distance?
• How does this differ from going to the movies?

What to think about:

The Theme

• What is the underlying message of the play?
• This should be something very broad
• "Crime does not pay" is an example of a theme
• There could be many different themes for a single play
• This depends somewhat on your perspective

the symbolism of the characters

• (what kind of characters are the actors representing:
  • good
  • evil
  • confused
  • ethnic types
  • hot-headed
  • air-headed
  • etc)

the basic elements of the plot

• Briefly describe what happens in the play
• A synopsis of the plot is all that is needed for your paper
• take note of important scenes
• Never take the plot summary from the playbook