Criticism, In a Nutshell

6 Elements of Theatre to be Evaluated:

1. Audience


2. Actors


3. Directing


4. Stage Space


5. Text/Script


6. Design Elements

3 Questions to Consider When Evaluating a Play:

1. What are the artists trying to do?


2. How did they do it? How WELL did they do it?


3. Was it worth doing?

How to "Think" like a Critic

CRITIC: One who is able to discern, judge, or appreciate.

(taken from the Greek word kritikos)

Newspaper journalists often ask themselves these three questions. They'll be helpful for you, too, as you consider the quality of your own blog posts this term:

1. Is it timely?
   
2. Is it accurate?
   
3. Is it objective?

Goethe (a German theatre guru from days gone by) posed these three questions. They're also good ones for you to consider as you begin to think like a theatre critic and watch plays:

1. What were the artists trying to do?
   
2. How well did they do it?
   
3. Was it worth doing?

picture from Wikimedia Commons