Theatre+Review

Remember to do you Theatre Review and hand it in. Sample: **//Rosencrantz and Guildenstern //****are ****Indeed Dead in High School Flop **

Really Great High School’s  Head of the Arts, Tracey Smith has taken on an ambitious student and teacher production of Stoppard’s //Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead //.

Unfortunately, for this reviewer, the production was less about missed cues, missteps and makeshift sets. Smith, usually a fine local director, takes this play where it should never go: to the beach!

Yes, the January 12th, 2012 production by RGHS’s Curtain Going Up! Productions dares to alter Stoppard’s absurdist look at Shakespeare’s fops from //Hamlet //and to place it, as the director’s notes suggest, “at the beach so as to place focus on the absurdist nature of life and the idea that life is indeed, a beach.” This choice limits the options for set and costume and take the piece into an inappropriate context.

However, despite this choice, the action of the two leads, teacher Dirk Deveron as Rosencrantz and principal Devon Dart as Guildenstern is strong. The two seamlessly move about the <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">stage in their Speedo-esque swim suits <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">and demonstrate a good understanding <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">of the script’s text and sub-text. Students Josh Duns and Alison Pinkney provide strong supporting roles as member of the Players. They use their bodies well to create their characters that Smith has unfortunately, morphed into sea-creatures from their original Shakespearean roles as members of a traveling performance troupe.

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Technically, the show follows up on <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Smith’s oversimplification by playing an <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">overly annoying and line-covering surf <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">sound effect throughout. The dark lighting serves only to cover what must be the embarrassed faces of the performers.

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">Warning: see this play at your own risk; <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">the theatre is not supervised by a <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">qualified lifeguard and viewing on a full <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">stomach is strongly discouraged. <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">___ <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">This review... <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">• is under 300 words <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">• covers the basics of the show <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">• includes a clear opinion <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">• supports opinion with examples <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">• uses conventional theatre terms <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">• provides a personal voice

<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"> Live Theatre Review NG Drama Your goal is to write actual review that could be read in any of the Entertainment columns of any newspaper or magazine. You will demonstrate your superior knowledge of theatrical conventions, as well as your ability to write concisely. **  The format you should follow:   ** ￢ Article style - no standard paragraphs are necessary. ￢ Concise and meaningful writing – 300 – 450 limit (news editors says so). ￢ Informative style - who, what, where, why, how much, etc. *all are important. ￢ Publishable - error-free, typed in 12-pt font, with suitable headline **  What you should address and attempt to create:   ** ￢ A very basic outline (1 sentence) of the play. ￢ Some elements generally describing the performance style. ￢ Specific elements that you did and did not believe worked. ￢ An explanation of why those elements did or did not work. ￢ A recommendation to see or not see the play. ￢ Create a tone that is personal yet also formal. **  The material you need to include and address:   ** ￢ The theatre company’s name - who put the show on. ￢ The name of the theatre space. ￢ The title of the play. ￢ The dates of performance you are reviewing. ￢ The names of both the playwright and the director. **  Things to remember:   ** ￢ Attach your ticket and the program to the final submission. ￢ See // The Farm Show // performed by Theatre Night in Merrickville (Mar 31-Apr 4); Jenny’s // House of Joy // performed by The Kemptville Players (Apr 7-10); Music Man performed by KYMTC (May 9-15?); or another play that is appropriate ￢ You must have seen the play since the beginning of this semester. ￢ Try to see plays that may be different from your taste (challenge your mind). ￢ Check out reviews in both the local and national papers to get a feel for the style. ￢ This review covers Thinking & Inquiry, as well as Communication.