Writing Assignment Theatre 120, Comm-B Production Element Focus: Scenery Production Critique: Laughter on the 23rd Floor     Objective:                               Write  a  descriptive,  analytical  paper  that  explores  how  the  scenery  for  Laughter  on  the  23rd  Floor   effectively  (or  ineffectively)  helps  tell  the  story  of  the  play.     Method:                               First,  practice  basic  theatre  etiquette.  Arrive  at  least  20  minutes  early  to  collect  your  tickets  from  the  box   office  and  find  a  seat.  Turn  cellphones  and  all  other  technology  off.  Do  not  take  notes  during  the  play;  it  is   distracting  and  discourteous  to  both  the  actors  and  other  audience  members.       Pay  attention  to  the  entire  play—not  just  the  production  element  you  were  assigned.  Get  a  sense  of  the   overall  unity  of  the  production,  and  how  the  scenery  ties  into  that  or  perhaps  contradicts  it.  Get  a  sense  of   the  plot  and  the  play’s  style.  In  what  place  and  time  period  is  it  set?  Is  the  visual  style  realistic  or   surreal/fantastical?  Do  the  actors  interact  effectively  with  each  production  element,  or  do  they  seem   separate  or  extraneous  to  the  action?  Does  the  interaction  with  the  scenery  enhance  or  detract  from  your   experience  of  the  play  as  a  whole?       Jot  down  notes  as  soon  as  you  can.  There  will  be  one  intermission  halfway  through  the  play,  use  both  this   time  and  take  time  at  the  end  of  the  play  to  write  specific  examples  for  use  in  your  paper.       When you write your paper: In  preparation  for  beginning  your  assignment,  review  all  of  the  specific  examples  you  wrote  down  from   the  performance.  Based  on  your  examples,  develop  an  informed  opinion  about  how  the  design  and  use  of   scenery  contributed  to  the  play.    This  will  become  your  thesis  statement.    For  information  on  thesis   statements,  check  out  the  UW  Writer’s  Handbook  at  this  link:   http://www.writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Thesis_or_Purpose.html     Support  your  thesis  with  detailed  descriptions  of  the  examples  you  collected.  Make  your  l.

1. Writing Assignment Theatre 120, Comm-B
Production Element Focus: Scenery
Production Critique: Laughter on the 23rd Floor
Objective:
Write
a
descriptive,
analytical
paper
that
explores
how

2. the
scenery
for
Laughter
on
the
23rd
Floor
effectively
(or
ineffectively)
helps
tell
the
story
of
the
play.
Method:

3. First,
practice
basic
theatre
etiquette.
Arrive
at
least
20
minutes
early
to
collect
your
tickets
from
the
box
office
and
find
a
seat.
Turn
cellphones
and
all
other
technology
off.
Do
not
take

4. notes
during
the
play;
it
is
distracting
and
discourteous
to
both
the
actors
and
other
audience
members.
Pay
attention
to
the
entire
play—not
just
the
production
element
you
were
assigned.
Get

5. a
sense
of
the
overall
unity
of
the
production,
and
how
the
scenery
ties
into
that
or
perhaps
contradicts
it.
Get
a
sense
of
the
plot
and
the
play’s
style.
In
what
place
and

6. time
period
is
it
set?
Is
the
visual
style
realistic
or
surreal/fantastical?
Do
the
actors
interact
effectively
with
each
production
element,
or
do
they
seem
separate
or
extraneous
to
the
action?
Does
the
interaction

7. with
the
scenery
enhance
or
detract
from
your
experience
of
the
play
as
a
whole?
Jot
down
notes
as
soon
as
you
can.
There
will
be
one
intermission
halfway
through
the

8. play,
use
both
this
time
and
take
time
at
the
end
of
the
play
to
write
specific
examples
for
use
in
your
paper.
When you write your paper:
In
preparation
for
beginning
your
assignment,
review

9. all
of
the
specific
examples
you
wrote
down
from
the
performance.
Based
on
your
examples,
develop
an
informed
opinion
about
how
the
design
and
use
of
scenery
contributed
to
the
play.
This
will

10. become
your
thesis
statement.
For
information
on
thesis
statements,
check
out
the
UW
Writer’s
Handbook
at
this
link:
http://www.writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Thesis_or_Purpose.html
Support
your
thesis
with
detailed
descriptions
of
the
examples
you

11. collected.
Make
your
language
as
specific
and
vivid
as
possible.
A
helpful
structure
to
follow
is
to
1)
describe
your
example
objectively,
2)
offer
your
subjective
opinion,
and
3)
articulate
whether
or
not
this

12. choice
was
effective
in
benefitting
the
production.
Example:
At
the
opening
of
Trifles
the
men
and
women
entered
the
stage
at
the
same
time
through
the
upstage
door
in
the
center

13. of
the
wall;
however,
the
men
advanced
downstage
in
front
of
the
furniture
while
the
women
remained
upstage
to
the
left
the
door,
standing
behind
the
table
and
chairs.
This
immediately
established
the
gender

14. dynamics
in
the
world
of
the
play.
The
men
and
women
interacted
with
the
scenery
in
a
way
that
effectively
established
the
unequal
relationship
between
the
male
and
female
characters.
Example:

15. Before
the
action
began,
the
audience
could
observe
a
kitchen
with
a
wooden
table,
antique
stove,
and
a
few
cabinets
on
stage.
The
appliances
were
not
contemporary,
nor
were
the
furnishings
expensive;
this
led

16. the
audience
to
immediately
interpret
the
kitchen
as
that
of
a
moderately
poor
family,
set
at
least
fifty
to
one
hundred
years
in
the
past.
The
same
way
you

17. would
cite
a
written
source
in
a
paper,
always
give
credit
to
the
director,
designers,
and
actors
if
you
specifically
reference
their
work.
This
information
can
be
found
in
the
program
for
the
production.

18. Example:
At
the
start
of
the
play,
Nora
(played
by
Nell
Gwyn)
trimmed
the
tree.
This
is
a
formal
paper.
Please
consider
formatting,
grammar,
and
syntax
when
writing
your
paper.

19. Before
submitting
your
paper
be
sure
to
proof
read!
How your paper will be graded:
Thesis:
Your
paper
offers
the
reader
a
thesis
that
articulates
a
specific
and
supportable
point
of
view
about
the

20. use
of
space
in
the
production.
Your
thesis
counts
for
10%
of
your
grade.
Examples
and
Analysis:
Your
paper
provides
vividly
described
examples
of
how
specific
moments
of
staging

21. were
effective
or
ineffective
in
supporting
your
experience
of
the
play.
For
each
example,
your
paper
analyzes
how
it
supports
your
thesis.
Examples
and
analysis
each
count
for
35%
of
your
grade
(70%

22. total).
Style
and
Mechanics:
Your
paper
displays
good
organization
and
structure,
careful
and
varied
word
choice,
correct
spelling
and
correct
grammar,
and
meets
the
three-­‐page
requirement.
Style
and
mechanics
count

23. for
10%
of
your
grade
Form:
Your
paper
follows
paper
format
specified
on
page
3
of
your
syllabus.
Following
correct
form
counts
for
10%
of
your
grade.

24. GUIDE TO BASIC ELEMENTS
OF THEATRICAL PRODUCTION
Scenery * Acting * Lighting * Costumes * Spatial Relationships
* Sound * Audience
By Dr. Barbara Clayton
Successful writing about theatrical performance relies on the
writer's ability to identify, describe,
analyze, and evaluate specific elements of production. Usually
shaped by a director, designers,
and actors in response to dramatic text, these production
elements create the meanings
spectators take from theatrical performance. All of these
elements interact, so the planning of a
production is usually a collaborative endeavor by the director,
designers, and actors to create a
specific theatrical experience.
Intended to aid students in analyzing production elements in
performance, the following
Guide briefly summarizes the primary production elements.
Scenery
Scenery provides the physical environment in which the
dramatic action comes to life. Two

25. important functions of scenery are to create a visual world for
the dramatic action and to provide
an interesting space for actors and director to use in creating
physical action onstage. Scene
designers use style, color, mass, form, line, and texture within a
defined space (usually a stage)
to create the world of the play. When analyzing scenery in a
production, consider the following
topics:
● Environmental conditions: What does the scenery convey
about time of year,
weather, geography, or other environmental conditions?
● Movement potential: How do actors enter and exit the stage?
Are there staircases,
spiraling ramps, large open spaces, or other features that
suggest specific movement
patterns?
● Style: Does the scenery create a realistic sense of time and
place? Or is the space
symbolic or abstract? Does the scenery employ scenic
conventions from a different
time or place? Japanese Kabuki staging, for example, or painted
scenery in the style of
18th century England?
● Color, texture, line, and rhythm: Does the scenery use bright
or subdued colors?
Rough, jagged, soft, or silken surfaces? Smooth, undulating
lines or rectilinear forms?
One door or many doors? What atmosphere or mood do these
choices create? Size and
scale? How large or small are the scenic elements in

26. relationship to the actors and the
audience? What might scenic scale imply about the action of the
play?
● Scene changes: Does the scenery change, how often, and why
or why not? How do
the scene changes influence the overall rhythm of the action?
● Relationship to audience: What relationship between the
audience and the
performance does the scenery suggest? Do scenic elements
blend into audience space?
Is the audience separated from the performance space by a
spatial or physical barrier?
2
Acting
Actors bring the characters to life, investing them with
movement, voice, passion, intellect, and
desire. Voice and body are the actor’s primary tools, but other
production elements often assist
the actor in representing characters. Costume, including hair
and make-up, is especially
important. Also important is an actor’s ability to shape his or
her performance in relation to the
ensemble (the other actors). Different production styles (for
example realism, epic theatre, or
theatre of the absurd) call for varying acting styles. When
analyzing acting in a production,
consider the following topics:
● Voice: Does the actor use specific pitch, range, volume,

27. quality, or vocal rhythms to
create the character? Does the actor use dialect or accent? Does
the actor use any unusual
vocal mannerisms to create character (for example, a cough or
other repetitive sound)?
How do these vocal choices create character?
● Body: How does the actor stand and move? Does she crouch
and creep about the stage?
Or does she stand tall and walk with stately grace? What
rhythms does the actor use? Is
his movement abrupt and unpredictable or smooth and flowing?
Does the actor use any
physical mannerisms (for example, constantly straightening
objects on a desk or picking
lint from clothing)? How do these physical choices create
character?
● Ensemble: Does the actor seem to listen to the other actors
and respond accordingly? Is
there a real sense of give-and-take on stage? What does the
actor do when not speaking?
● Style: Does the actor attempt to believably embody the
character? Is the actor’s goal to
“show” a character’s actions without fully embodying them?
Does a character’s
believability seem less important than the playwright’s or
director’s specific vision?
What specific choices in voice, body, and ensemble create the
sense of style?
Spatial Relationships
The term "spatial relationships" (sometimes called "blocking")
refers to the physical positioning

28. of actors on the stage relative to other actors, scenic elements,
the playing space, and the
audience. A director usually
works with actors to establish patterns of movement and
physical positions that illuminate
characters, character relationships, and the dramatic action.
When analyzing spatial relationships
in a production, consider the following topics:
● Areas: Are specific areas on the stage associated with specific
characters or actions?
● Levels: Does the scenery permit actors to appear on different
levels? What
implications about character relationships emerge from the use
of levels?
● Distance: Do characters appear close together or far apart
when they interact? What
information about their relationship is implied by physical
distance?
● Rhythm and line: Do actors move quickly or slowly? Do they
approach others
directly or indirectly? What do these patterns of movement
convey about the
characters, their intentions, or their relationships?
● Change: Does the actors' use of areas, levels, distance, or
rhythm and line change
during the performance? What does the change imply?
● Relationship to audience: Do the actors speak and interact
with each other as if the
audience weren't there? Do the actors speak or physically

29. interact with the audience?
What does this imply about the style of the performance?
3
Costumes
A character's costume includes his or her clothes, makeup, and
hairstyle, and might also include
personal items such as a handbag or umbrella. While a costume
may convey external aspects of a
character such as his/her profession and social class, it also
suggests inner elements of character
such as mood and personality. Costume designers use color,
texture, pattern, weight, as well as
historical period, to create a character's costume. When
analyzing costume choices in a
production, consider the following topics:
● Socioeconomic class: What does the costume convey about
the character's position in
society? How is this information conveyed through texture,
style, color, pattern,
weight, or fit of clothing?
● Environmental conditions: What does the costume convey
about time of year,
weather, geography, or other environmental conditions? How is
this information
conveyed through texture, style, color, pattern, weight, or fit of
clothing?
● Occupation: What does the costume convey about how the

30. character spends his/her
time? How is this information conveyed through texture, style,
color, pattern, weight,
or fit of clothing?
● Culture: What does the costume convey about cultural origins
or affiliations? How is
this information conveyed through texture, style, color, pattern,
weight, or fit of
clothing?
● Mood and temperament: What does the costume convey about
the character's state
of mind, preferences, habits, and way of life? How is this
information conveyed
through texture, style, color, pattern, weight, or fit of clothing?
● Relationship to the play and other characters: What does the
costume convey about
the spirit and style of the play and the character's relationship to
other characters in the
play? How is this information conveyed through texture, style,
color, pattern, weight,
or fit of clothing?
● Costume changes: If a character changes costume, what does
the change in costume
convey about the character's actions or state of mind?
● Movement potential: How does the costume facilitate or
constrict the movement of
the actor? To what effect? Do the fabric and cut of the costume
create movement when
the actor moves? Consider a heavy robe, a long train on a dress,
or a silky, flowing
gown, for example.

31. 4
Sound
Sound effects and music generate meaning, create mood, and
enhance atmosphere or feeling in a
theatrical performance. In addition, directors and sound
designers often use preshow music to
establish the initial mood of a performance or postshow music
to prolong the final mood of a
performance. When analyzing sound in a production, consider
the following topics:
● Environmental conditions: What does the sound convey about
time of year, weather,
geography, or other environmental conditions?
● Style: Does the sound create a realistic sense of time and
place? Or is the sound
symbolic or abstract?
● Mood: Does the sound contribute to establishing the mood of
the dramatic action?
Spooky sounds on a dark night, for example, might suggest a
mysterious atmosphere,
or wind rustling the leaves of an aspen tree might suggest a
cool, relaxing summer
afternoon.

32. ● Rhythm: Does the sound work with movement of the actors
and the lighting to create
a specific pace for the dramatic action?
● Volume: Is the sound a soft, background noise or a loud jolt?
Why?
● Live or recorded: Does the performance use live sound,
recorded sound, or a mix? To
what effect?
Lighting
Theatrical lighting serves not only the important practical
purpose of making actors visible on
stage, but also the artistic purpose of conveying information and
atmosphere about the dramatic
action. Lighting designers use the color, texture, intensity
(brightness or dimness), direction, and
movement of light to help create the world of the play. When
analyzing lighting choices in a
production, consider the following topics:
● Focusing attention: How does the light focus attention to
particular areas of the
stage? Are some areas more brightly lit than others? Is light
used to provide scenic
transitions? Is absence of light important?
● Texture and pattern: Does the light use texture or pattern to
suggest scenic location
or environment? Leafy texture, for example, might suggest an
exterior location, or a

33. window pattern an interior location.
● Direction and color: Do the direction and color of the light
mimic real life sources
such as the sun? Do the direction and color convey a mood or
atmosphere? Is the color
warm or cool? Does the source of the light appear to move or
change?
● Style: Does the light create a realistic sense of time and
space? Or is the light more
abstract, disobeying "real world" rules about the way light looks
and behaves? Are
there lamps, chandeliers, or candles on the stage? What effect
or mood do they create?
● Rhythm: Does the light change quickly in texture, pattern,
color, direction, intensity,
or movement? Or do the variations in look or feel of the lights
happen slowly?
5
Audience
Though often overlooked, the audience is a critical element of
theatrical production. In fact,
many theories of theatre are founded upon the assumption that
the basic minimum requirements
for performance to occur are the presence of at least one
audience member and at least one

34. performer. Theatre practitioners must take the audience into
account in many ways in planning
and executing a production, including:
• Presentational/Representational Style: Do the actors
acknowledge the audience and
sometimes speak directly to them (Presentational style) or do
the actors construct a
fictional world that the audience looks in on voyeuristically
without the actors
acknowledging their presence (Representational style)?
• Motion: Does the audience remain seated throughout the
performance, or does the
audience move from place to place as part of the performance?
Physical arrangement:
In theatres with flexible seating, how is the audience arranged?
(On all sides of the
action? On three sides of the action?) Are there unusual seating
choices, such as audience
members seated on the stage? Does the performance extend into
the audience’s seating
area, with performers directly interacting with audience
members physically?
• Emotional relationship to the action: Is the audience meant to
be emotionally engaged
by the scenes unfolding onstage, or does the production take
steps to keep the audience at
a critical distance? Is the audience meant to feel safe and
comfortable, or does the
production confront the audience with uncomfortable or
disorienting experiences?
• Dramaturgical materials: What, if any, materials are provided
to the audience to

35. contextualize the play, and how do they prepare the audience
for the theatrical
experience? Is there a director’s note? Historical background on
the play? Images?
Special instructions to the audience?
• Audience makeup: Is the audience made up largely of a group
that knows one another
(school groups, for instance) or has special needs that must be
taken into account (groups
with multiple language capabilities that require translation)? Is
the audience required to
be here for a class? Is the group diverse in terms of age, socio-
economic status, gender,
race, familiarity with the play in question, etc.? Has the
production taken diversity into
account in its approach to the audience?
Writing Assignment Theatre 120, Comm-B
Production Element Focus: Scenery
Production Critique: Laughter on the 23rd Floor
Objective:

36. Write
a
descriptive,
analytical
paper
that
explores
how
the
scenery
for
Laughter
on
the
23rd
Floor
effectively
(or
ineffectively)
helps
tell
the
story
of

37. the
play.
Method:
First,
practice
basic
theatre
etiquette.
Arrive
at
least
20
minutes
early
to
collect
your
tickets

38. from
the
box
office
and
find
a
seat.
Turn
cellphones
and
all
other
technology
off.
Do
not
take
notes
during
the
play;
it
is
distracting
and
discourteous
to
both
the
actors
and
other
audience

39. members.
Pay
attention
to
the
entire
play—not
just
the
production
element
you
were
assigned.
Get
a
sense
of
the
overall
unity
of
the
production,
and
how
the
scenery
ties
into
that

40. or
perhaps
contradicts
it.
Get
a
sense
of
the
plot
and
the
play’s
style.
In
what
place
and
time
period
is
it
set?
Is
the
visual
style
realistic
or
surreal/fantastical?
Do
the
actors
interact

41. effectively
with
each
production
element,
or
do
they
seem
separate
or
extraneous
to
the
action?
Does
the
interaction
with
the
scenery
enhance
or
detract
from
your
experience
of
the
play
as
a
whole?

42. Jot
down
notes
as
soon
as
you
can.
There
will
be
one
intermission
halfway
through
the
play,
use
both
this
time
and
take
time
at
the
end
of
the
play
to
write

43. specific
examples
for
use
in
your
paper.
When you write your paper:
In
preparation
for
beginning
your
assignment,
review
all
of
the
specific
examples
you
wrote
down
from
the
performance.
Based
on
your
examples,
develop

44. an
informed
opinion
about
how
the
design
and
use
of
scenery
contributed
to
the
play.
This
will
become
your
thesis
statement.
For
information
on
thesis
statements,
check
out
the
UW
Writer’s
Handbook

45. at
this
link:
http://www.writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Thesis_or_Purpose.html
Support
your
thesis
with
detailed
descriptions
of
the
examples
you
collected.
Make
your
language
as
specific
and
vivid
as
possible.
A
helpful
structure
to
follow
is

46. to
1)
describe
your
example
objectively,
2)
offer
your
subjective
opinion,
and
3)
articulate
whether
or
not
this
choice
was
effective
in
benefitting
the
production.
Example:
At
the
opening
of
Trifles

47. the
men
and
women
entered
the
stage
at
the
same
time
through
the
upstage
door
in
the
center
of
the
wall;
however,
the
men
advanced
downstage
in
front
of
the
furniture
while
the
women

48. remained
upstage
to
the
left
the
door,
standing
behind
the
table
and
chairs.
This
immediately
established
the
gender
dynamics
in
the
world
of
the
play.
The
men
and
women
interacted
with
the
scenery
in

49. a
way
that
effectively
established
the
unequal
relationship
between
the
male
and
female
characters.
Example:
Before
the
action
began,
the
audience
could
observe
a
kitchen
with
a
wooden
table,
antique
stove,

50. and
a
few
cabinets
on
stage.
The
appliances
were
not
contemporary,
nor
were
the
furnishings
expensive;
this
led
the
audience
to
immediately
interpret
the
kitchen
as
that
of
a
moderately
poor
family,
set
at

51. least
fifty
to
one
hundred
years
in
the
past.
The
same
way
you
would
cite
a
written
source
in
a
paper,
always
give
credit
to
the
director,
designers,
and

52. actors
if
you
specifically
reference
their
work.
This
information
can
be
found
in
the
program
for
the
production.
Example:
At
the
start
of
the
play,
Nora
(played
by
Nell
Gwyn)
trimmed
the

53. tree.
This
is
a
formal
paper.
Please
consider
formatting,
grammar,
and
syntax
when
writing
your
paper.
Before
submitting
your
paper
be
sure
to
proof
read!
How your paper will be graded:
Thesis:

54. Your
paper
offers
the
reader
a
thesis
that
articulates
a
specific
and
supportable
point
of
view
about
the
use
of
space
in
the
production.
Your
thesis
counts
for
10%
of
your
grade.

55. Examples
and
Analysis:
Your
paper
provides
vividly
described
examples
of
how
specific
moments
of
staging
were
effective
or
ineffective
in
supporting
your
experience
of
the
play.
For
each
example,
your
paper

56. analyzes
how
it
supports
your
thesis.
Examples
and
analysis
each
count
for
35%
of
your
grade
(70%
total).
Style
and
Mechanics:
Your
paper
displays
good
organization
and
structure,
careful
and

57. varied
word
choice,
correct
spelling
and
correct
grammar,
and
meets
the
three-­‐page
requirement.
Style
and
mechanics
count
for
10%
of
your
grade
Form:
Your
paper
follows
paper
format
specified

58. on
page
3
of
your
syllabus.
Following
correct
form
counts
for
10%
of
your
grade.