Assignment:
Articulate, analyze, and evaluate the acting work on the Southern Miss production of The Last Five Years
Outline for Paper:
Introduction: What was your overall impression of production? This can be as honest as you want it to be.
Articulation and analysis of one actor’s work. Focusing on one actor, use the following questions to describe and analyze, in detail, their work in this production. If you have trouble talking about only one because of the shortness of this production, you can use two actors.
Character Analysis and Application:
Identify some of the given circumstances of the character that the actor revealed through his/her performance. (Use specific examples—age, family background, socio- economic level, morals/beliefs, education level, etc.)
Articulate how picking up on those specific given circumstances helped to tell the whole story. Why is it important to know the character’s background, and why did the actor need to incorporate that into his or her performance?
How did the actor reveal his or her analysis and research work through performance? What were some specific physical and vocal choices that helped him or her to embody a very specific character? (Not what they said, but how) Cite examples of moments in the show to support your ideas.
Action and Character Development:
What did the character want? Did this change throughout the play? (Identify specific objectives the actor seemed to be working toward.)
Did the character succeed in getting what he or she wanted? Were there some things they got, and some they didn’t? (Be specific!)
Did this character change from the start of the play to the end? Did they go on a journey of some kind? If so, describe that journey and/or change. How did the actor go through that change and make it clear for the audience?
What seemed to be the climactic moment for this character? At what point were they at their highest point? Did the character reach a resolution? If so, how?
Evaluation of the entire cast’s acting. Unity of Cast
Evaluate how you think the whole cast of actors did at working together to create one clear, cohesive world. Were all the actors working within the same style, and were they all believable in relation to each other? (Be specific!) If they were not in the same world, do you think this was an intentional choice? Was the intention clear?
What do you think was not successful about the acting work? Was there something that didn’t seem to fit with the rest? Why do you think that might have been (hard to hear or understand? Not sure why they made a certain choice?)? What solutions could you offer to help improve it?
Reflection
Looking back, how did the production as a whole impact you? This should be your own personal opinion. It’s your chance to respond to the show itself and your experience seeing it. (Remember, be specific!)
Reminders:
Take notes after seeing the show so that you remember the details. You can use those notes to write, and then look back at them as you edit.
Your paper must be at least 750 words, double-spaced, in 12-point font and 1” margins.
This should be written in first person from your perspective. This is based on your personal experience of the show and is therefore from your point of view.
When you turn this in digitally, it will be run through a plagiarism check. Please recall the academic integrity statement on the syllabus; it will be strictly enforced. This is a paper on your experience, and plagiarism of an online source or someone else in the class is unacceptable.
Proofread! Spelling and grammar do count. Do not turn in a paper you have not read over!
