Play Review Guidelines and Rubric
A review is more formal than a blog post but is still posted on your blog. It needs to have a title, multiple paragraphs, an introduction, body, and conclusion, and be 650-900 words in length.
Be sure to include the title of the play, the author, the date on which you viewed it, and the location. If you have a program, please also include the director and names of the major actors.
The review should begin with a short summary of the plot of the play and discussion of the major themes. Sometimes, one theme is more prominent than others because the director/actors decided to highlight that, so pay attention to the overall plot points that seem most important. Sometimes, in the program, there is a director’s note that explains the particular approach taken – be sure to read this and look for the examples in the play.
The bulk of the play should discuss the staging. For example, consider the following questions: What choices did the production make regarding staging/set, color schemes, costumes, sound, lighting, etc.? What characters were highlighted as most important and how was this done? What characters were positioned as being similar to one another or opposite to one another and how was that effect achieved?
Next, choose one actor who was the best on your opinion or your favorite and explain why. Who was the character created and how did the actor work to make this character so successful? Be specific and use examples from the play to back up your points.
Finally, discuss your opinion of the play. Did you like it or not and why? What did you learn about theater from watching this?
Grading Criteria (see descriptions above for more details)
Structure of Essay (including title, paragraphs, etc.)
Clarity of Writing and Accurate Proofreading
Word Count
Short Summary of Plot and Major Themes
Review of Staging Choices
Review of One Actor
Overall Opinion
Specific Examples and Lots of Details
