Theatrical Review

The Event

• What is playing? What is the title of the performance that you are viewing?

"The Middle Place" is playing.

• Specify the genre~musical, dance,etc.

Verbatim theatre.

• A basic plot summary.

A few kids who lived in a youth shelter were interviewed about their lives and the actors played the roles of the kids and performed what the kids said verbatim.

The Venue

• Where the theatre takes place~ name and address of the theatre and describe the venue itself. How much seating is available and how comfortable are the seat themselves? Is there orchestra, balcony and mezzanine seating or just chairs on the main floor?

The Berkeley Street Theatre is on Berkeley Street. It looked like there was approximately a seating for around maybe 100 people or so with a balcony. The seats themselves were fairly comfortable but there was very little leg room and I felt very squished.

• How much are the tickets?

We payed $35 each for the trip but I think the price on the ticket itself was $25 but I don't remember.

The Director

• Give a quick biography about the director. What have they done in the past? Are they new?

Alan Dilworth's other projects include: "If We Were Birds", "The Gladstone Variations", "The Unforgetting", "Da", "ma jolie" and "The Bundle".

The Stage

• Was the stage properly decorated to provide a feel of the setting that they performance is set in?

The stage had nothing but a slanted, white oval in the middle.

• Did the designers make an effort int the backdrops?

There were no backdrops.

• Do scene changes flow smoothly?

There no scene changes but the changes from character to character were pretty smooth for the most part.

• Are there any extra fixtures used to take advantage of the stage, like a giant prop chandelier? Was it effective? Why or why not?

No, there were no other extra fixtures used to take advantage of.

The Costumes

• Costumes are another means of setting the right atmosphere in the performance so....how well did the costume designers so in their work?

There weren't really any costumes but I think it's better that there were no costumes because it made us focus on what the performers were saying more.

• Is it easy to differentiate characters based on the clothes they wear?

You could differentiate by their body language and the way they talked.

• Are there any spectacular costumes to note on stage when thy performance calls for them?

No, there were no spectacular costumes.

The Acoustics

• Can you hear the actors acting, singers singing, and the music playing?

Yes, you can hear all of the actors and all of the sound effects clearly.

• Was the band/orchestra good? Give reasons.

There was no band or orchestra.

The Pacing And Mood

• Does the performance's pace fit the mood? For example, if it's a fast paced thriller, you should not have to check your watch to see if they finished their inner monologues.

Yes, I think that the performance's pace did fit the mood because it wasn't super quick and rushed. The time was taken to learn about each person and their experiences and nothing felt sped up or hurried.

The Performance

• This is the easiest thing to review; how well did they actors perform? Were they funny when they were supposed to be and dramatic during dramatic elements?

I feel that Kevin, Antonio and the black girl were very good in the performances. Especially Kevin, I felt that his performance was immense and he was the one who impressed me the most and the one I most enjoyed watching. The white girl however, I did not enjoy her performance at all. I felt that there were many times were she was yelling and it was very annoying and especially her laugh that she did. I just did not find her performance enjoyable at all.

• Did the actors enunciate their line far enough for that the back row could hear? If they sing, did they sing well? Did they move well and take advantage of the stage space?

Yes, I feel that the actors enunciated well and projected their voices enough so that they were able to be heard throughout the entire theatre.

• Were you convinced that the people on stage were the characters they represented?

For the most part, yes I was convinced that the actors were their characters on stage and there were very little doubts throughout the performance.

The Enjoyment

• Did you enjoy the show in general? Reviewing the other nine elements, did it culminately translate into a nice outing? Did you enjoy the performance as a whole?

Overall, I did enjoy the show but there were some parts where I lost my interest a bit but then Kevin and Antonio started talking and I was right back into it because their performances were fantastic. I enjoyed the outing and the performance as a whole because I learned a lot about body language in acting and performing and also a lot about the technical side of running a theatre show.