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Theater/Dance Subject Guide

Suggested Resources

Writing in the Disciplines: Theater and Dance

  • Good writing begins with close reading of the text. In the case of theater, texts include both plays in written form and performances. One must "read" a performance closely by understanding its content, the historical, social, and cultural background of the performance, as well as by analyzing the components of the performance.
  • Honesty is important when writing for theater classes; your initial reaction to the text is often where the strongest writing begins.
  • Be sure not to employ top down writing; this means that one should not begin with a claim and force sources to fit their idea and ignore evidence that is contradictory to their claim. Let the evidence speak to you and arrive at a claim based on the evidence.
  • Beginner writers tend simply state "I liked it" or "I didn't like it" without elaborating intelligently on their reactions. A high level of personal engagement with the material is a cue of strong theater writing. One should have an emotional response to the work rather than treating the assignment as a distanced intellectual exercise. (from the U of Richmond)

 

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