Description
Intro to Theatre
Performance Review #1
Due: March 7 by 11:59 PM to Blackboard
Length: 3 full pages, double-spaced, no extra spacing
Assignment Description: You are a theatre critic living and working in New York City. The New York
Times has commissioned you to review a production of Jocelyn Bioh’s hit play School Girls, Or, The
African Mean Girls Play for its Theatre Review section. The production, directed by Tony Award winner
Rebecca Taichman, tells the story of a group of young women enrolled in a Ghanaian school.
View the performance (1 hour, 15 minutes) here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7ijuoflgy7o0scs/School%2…
Mean%20Girls%20Play%29%20by%20Jocelyn%20Bioh%20-
%20WITH%20Subtitles%20%28Source%29.mp4?dl=0
Your readers are theatregoers in New York City who have
NOT seen the production. Your review should make a
compelling case for why your reader should attend (or not
attend) the performance. You CAN include spoilers and use
first person writing (“I”).
Your review should include a discussion of at least three (3)
dramatic choices made in the production that contribute to
your overall play assessment. These choices can include
characters, lighting, costumes, set design, music, plot,
themes, social messaging, etc.
PLEASE do not refer to or quote other reviews for this
assignment. I do not want to hear anyone’s opinions on the production but your own.
Assignment Rubric (10 points towards your final grade)
o Title (1 point): Effective and Engaging (potentially alluding to your thesis)
o Introduction and Thesis Statement (2 points): Introduce the artist/company and give any
preliminary information necessary for context. Provide a thesis statement that encapsulates, in
one or two sentences, your own opinion of the production based on the analysis you will offer
later.
o Background (1 point): A brief (no more than a few sentences) synopsis of the play’s events. You
want your readers to have an idea of what the production is about before they attend the
performance and before you move into your analysis.
o An Analysis of the Play’s World (3 points): Provide context and explain why you recommend the
play or not. Consider at least three (3) choices made in the performance (acting, lighting design,
direction, set design, costumes, etc.). How well do each one of these component contribute to
the overall production and in what ways? Be specific! Don’t just say you liked or disliked it—tell
the ready why. Single out aspects that you thought were particularly striking (in a good or bad
way) and relate that back to your feeling about the production overall. You may also have mixed
reviews about aspects of the production, so talk about these elements and give reasons why you
thought some things worked and others failed.
o Overall Connections (2 points): A reflection on the larger ideas or issues the production raised.
What did the production make you think about? Did it make you reconsider any of your own
opinions or convictions? Did it raise important critical questions for you? This section might
overlap or happen concurrently with the previous section—that’s okay.
o Conclusion (1 point): A concise ending in which you sum up your opinion of the production
(returning to your opening thesis statement).
Formatting Guidelines:
Reviews should be written in size 12 Times New Roman font, double-spaced with one- inch margins
and at least three (3) full double-spaced pages in length.
*Please note: If your review is not at least 3 full double-spaced pages, you will lose two points per each
half page missing. You are welcome to write over 3 pages.
All reviews should be submitted under Blackboard—Weekly Modules—Performance Review using
Microsoft Word—Please do not submit using PDF, pages, docs, or anything else. (This is helpful for my
ability to comment on your writing).
PLEASE also do not forget to provide a CITATION for anything you draw from online or any other source.
You can cite using MLA or APA styles; whatever works for you. If you have any questions about what
may need cited, feel free to drop by my office hours. Lastly, do not use Chat GPT to write this
assignment, this is easily detectable.
Unformatted Attachment Preview
Intro to Theatre
Performance Review #1
Due: March 7 by 11:59 PM to Blackboard
Length: 3 full pages, double-spaced, no extra spacing
Assignment Description: You are a theatre critic living and working in New York City. The New York
Times has commissioned you to review a production of Jocelyn Bioh’s hit play School Girls, Or, The
African Mean Girls Play for its Theatre Review section. The production, directed by Tony Award winner
Rebecca Taichman, tells the story of a group of young women enrolled in a Ghanaian school.
View the performance (1 hour, 15 minutes) here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7ijuoflgy7o0scs/School%20Girls%20%28The%20African%20
Mean%20Girls%20Play%29%20by%20Jocelyn%20Bioh%20%20WITH%20Subtitles%20%28Source%29.mp4?dl=0
Your readers are theatregoers in New York City who have
NOT seen the production. Your review should make a
compelling case for why your reader should attend (or not
attend) the performance. You CAN include spoilers and use
first person writing (“I”).
Your review should include a discussion of at least three (3)
dramatic choices made in the production that contribute to
your overall play assessment. These choices can include
characters, lighting, costumes, set design, music, plot,
themes, social messaging, etc.
PLEASE do not refer to or quote other reviews for this
assignment. I do not want to hear anyone’s opinions on the production but your own.
Assignment Rubric (10 points towards your final grade)
o Title (1 point): Effective and Engaging (potentially alluding to your thesis)
o Introduction and Thesis Statement (2 points): Introduce the artist/company and give any
preliminary information necessary for context. Provide a thesis statement that encapsulates, in
one or two sentences, your own opinion of the production based on the analysis you will offer
later.
o Background (1 point): A brief (no more than a few sentences) synopsis of the play’s events. You
want your readers to have an idea of what the production is about before they attend the
performance and before you move into your analysis.
o An Analysis of the Play’s World (3 points): Provide context and explain why you recommend the
play or not. Consider at least three (3) choices made in the performance (acting, lighting design,
direction, set design, costumes, etc.). How well do each one of these component contribute to
the overall production and in what ways? Be specific! Don’t just say you liked or disliked it—tell
the ready why. Single out aspects that you thought were particularly striking (in a good or bad
way) and relate that back to your feeling about the production overall. You may also have mixed
reviews about aspects of the production, so talk about these elements and give reasons why you
thought some things worked and others failed.
o Overall Connections (2 points): A reflection on the larger ideas or issues the production raised.
What did the production make you think about? Did it make you reconsider any of your own
opinions or convictions? Did it raise important critical questions for you? This section might
overlap or happen concurrently with the previous section—that’s okay.
o Conclusion (1 point): A concise ending in which you sum up your opinion of the production
(returning to your opening thesis statement).
Formatting Guidelines:
Reviews should be written in size 12 Times New Roman font, double-spaced with one- inch margins
and at least three (3) full double-spaced pages in length.
*Please note: If your review is not at least 3 full double-spaced pages, you will lose two points per each
half page missing. You are welcome to write over 3 pages.
All reviews should be submitted under Blackboard—Weekly Modules—Performance Review using
Microsoft Word—Please do not submit using PDF, pages, docs, or anything else. (This is helpful for my
ability to comment on your writing).
PLEASE also do not forget to provide a CITATION for anything you draw from online or any other source.
You can cite using MLA or APA styles; whatever works for you. If you have any questions about what
may need cited, feel free to drop by my office hours. Lastly, do not use Chat GPT to write this
assignment, this is easily detectable.
Need assistance with citation? Purdue’s Online Writing Lab provides a wealth of information on how to
cite using MLA or APA styles: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/resources.html
I will provide feedback on drafts received to my email
([email protected]) by MONDAY, MARCH 4 at 11:59 PM.
Purchase answer to see full
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