Use the following sections as a starting point to writing your review paper on the play “On The Exhale” written by Martin Zimmerman, which needs to describe, interpret, analyze and evaluate different theatrical elements of the play and the production. Although you do not need to answer all of the questions, your review should address each theatrical element of the play and the production by discussing a limited number of relevant points for each section.
Introduction
What is the plays title? Who is the playwright? What else have they written?
Is the play performed in its original version, or has it been adapted? Is it
performed in its entirety, or has it been abridged?
Is this the first performance of the play? If not, is there anything historically
significant about its first or earlier productions?
What is the name of the theatre where the play was performed? Is there anything
important about the theatre space?
Who is the director? What other significant work have they directed? Who is the
production company? What other significant work have they produced?
What is your overall impression of the play? What is your overall impression of
production?
The Play
What theatrical genre is the play?
What themes and issues does the play explore?
What dramatic plot structure does it use?
Who are the main characters?
What happens in the play?
What style is the play? How does it adhere to dramatic conventions of realism and
non-realism?
If the play was devised, collaborative or experimental then how does the text
follow these conventions? How does it break from them?
The production
How did each of the following theatrical elements work within the production:
Directing
1. Did all the elements of the production seem to be unified and to fit together seamlessly? How was this reflected, in particular, in the visual elementsthe scenery, costumes, and lighting; or in the sound, video, or projection design?
2. How did the director move the actors around onstage? Were there any moments when you felt that such movement was particularly effective or ineffective?
3. Were entrances and exits smooth?
4. Did the pace or rhythm of the production seem right for the type of play you are
attending? Did it drag or move swiftly? Did one scene follow another quickly, or
were there long pauses or interruptions?
5. Did there seem to be a unifying idea or concept behind the production? If so, how
was it reflected in the production?
6. How were we, as audience members, able to see it embodied in the production?
Was it reflected in striking images or in the way the actors developed their performances?
Acting
If there were performers you did not like, identify them and explain why you did not like them. Give concrete examples to explain why their performances were less successful. (As you discuss this, be sure to separate the performer from the role. For example, you can dislike a character but admire the performance.)
Acting is more than a collection of individual performances. The entire company needs to work as a unit (as noted earlier, this is sometimes called ensemble): each member of the cast must not only perform her or his own role but also support the other performers.
Were the performers believable, given the requirements of the play? If they were
believable, how did they seem to accomplish this? If they were not believable,
what occurred to impair or destroy their believability?
Identify the performers you considered most successful. Citing specifics from the
production, note what they did well: particular gestures, lines, or moments. For
example, how did the performers voice sound? How did she or he interpret the
role?
Scenery and Costume Design
What information was conveyed by the scenery about time, place, characters, and situation? How was this information conveyed to you?
What was the overall atmosphere of the setting? How was that atmosphere created?
Were there many scene changes? Were they handled effectively? Could you tell how they were done?
Lighting and Sound
What information was conveyed by the lighting about time, place, characters, and
situation? How was this information conveyed to you?
Were there any lighting special effects? What were they? How were they used to
support the play?
Were sound effects used in the production? How did they help support your
understanding of the play?
Was there original music? How did it help set the mood or help you better
understand the action of the play?
The space
What type of space was used for the performance?
The Audience
What was the composition of the audience? How did this affect the atmosphere of the performance?
What noticeable responses did the audience have to the performance?
Conclusion
Summarize your main points about the production. What is your overall
evaluation of the production?
How successful was the production at realizing the playwrights intentions?
