Things You'll Need:
- "Steno" notebook
- pencil/pen
- computer with text software
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Step 1
See the Play (don't forget to get a copy of the program) and take notes in your 'steno' notebook on things you like and don't like about what you're seeing. Use the intermission to go over First Act notes in case you wrote a 'half-note' you'll need to decipher later. Repeat this process at the end of the play, before you leave the theater.
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Step 2
Later, at home, write yourself a brief synopsis of the play; the progress of action (this happened and then that happened).
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Step 3
Ask yourself two questions: Did the play 'work' for me? Was I moved, excited, bored, sleepy? Write your answer down. Then ask yourself: Why was I moved, excited, bored or sleepy? Write your answer down, expanding on issues that affected your enjoyment.
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Step 4
Make two lists: Things you liked, things you didn't like and give each like/dislike a grade from 1 to 10. When you're done, look at the two highest ranked items on each list. A combination of the two highest ranked items (one on each list) could be your 'lead.' If you've marked 'energy' as a '10' on your "Liked" list and acting as a '10' on your "Not Liked" list (meaning that you thought the acting was VERY poor), you might be able to start your review with "Energy is always a good thing in a theatrical production, but when it's joined to bad acting, the results are disastrous."
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Step 5
Identify your lead (see Step 4 above) and write it. Once you have established this lead, introduce a simplified synopsis of the play (Do NOT retell the entire story from opening curtain to curtain calls).
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Step 6
Using notes that you took during Step One, identify specific examples that highlight your chosen "likes" and "dislikes" and write about them. Mention artisans by name, where appropriate ("The set design by Willis Mulcahy was . . ) and avoid use of the adjective "interesting."
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Step 7
Conclude; identify for the reader whether the play you've seen is, in your opinion, worth seeing or not and say so.
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Step 8
Consult with the publication that is printing your review to determine specific informational requirements that might precede the body of your review; items such as Name of Play, Author, Director, Lighting Designer, Set Designer, Actors, and Performance Dates.
