Before taking a group of students to see a live show, you will need to check the specification for your course to see how theatre reviews are used as part of the assessment. You can then design a template for students to use when writing their review.
With BTEC Performing Arts Unit 14 Musical Theatre Performance, you can use learning outcome 4 as a basis for creating a checklist. You will need to discuss the terms with your class and explain how to use them to write a review of a musical:
Learning outcome 4 – Be able to perform a role in a musical
- Effective use of physical and vocal range, awareness of tone, pitch, intonation, balance, poise and dynamics
- Communication: maintaining focus and concentration; vocal projection; physical embodiment of a role; communication of mood and emotion; communication of interpretation; communication with other performers
- Awareness of other performance elements eg. lighting, scenery, sound, use of microphones, costume, props
- Integration: bringing together of different skills; fitting own role/roles within the overall production concept; working with other production elements; making adjustments to suit the demands of the production.
Before the trip
Ask your students to prepare a PowerPoint presentation on Six, looking in detail at the creative team (the people responsible for making/devising the show) and the technical team (the people responsible for the running of the show). The student should give a definition of the role and some background on the person carrying out the role. Images should be used throughout the slideshow to illustrate the points.
Title of show:
Date and place of premiere:
Creative Team
Composer; Lyricist; Book by; Directors; Choreographer; Set Designer; Costume Designer; Sound Designer; Lighting Designer; Orchestrator; Musical supervisor
Technical Team
Production Manager; Company Stage Manager; Deputy Stage Manager; Assistant Stage Manager; Tech Swing; Sound; LX1 and Relighter; Head of Wardrobe; Head of Wigs and Make-Up
Cast
This can be found online but might change on the day of your trip. Buy a programme and check the cast list. Explain to students how to use the biographies and images to help them identify the performers.
Notes should be made on the initial idea and the evolution of the show. Creators of Six Lucy and Toby Moss were studying at Cambridge University and wrote a show for the Musical Theatre Society to take to the Edinburgh Fringe 2017. Their initial idea was to write about the six wives of Henry VIII performing as a pop group, a show that experimented with the traditional idea of a musical. The result is an entertaining pop concert style musical with an all-female cast. The band are cast as the Ladies in Waiting and include keys, drums, guitar and bass. Each Queen sings and performs in a style influenced by different artists, including Beyoncé, Shakira, Lily Allen, Avril Lavigne, Adele, Sia, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Britney Spears, Alicia Keys and Emeli Sandé.
At the theatre
Remind students of theatre etiquette: it may help to give them a contract to sign ahead of the trip with a list of do's and don'ts for theatre visits – not all students will have been to the theatre before. Ensure their mobiles are off and in their bags. Buy programmes for the department library and class use.
After the trip
Discuss the show in class in order to help the students write a theatre review. Students will have to analyse the various aspects of the production (acting, singing, dancing, playing instruments, lighting, costume, make-up and hair, staging, set design, lighting design, use of properties, integration of the three disciplines in the storytelling), and the audience reaction. You could divide the students into groups who focus on certain aspects, or give them all a template to make notes on each aspect as follows:
Name of show/Venue/Date:
Composer/Lyricist/Choreographer/Book by:
Song list/Scene list/structure:
Set designer:
Comments on set/images of set:
Lighting designer:
Comments on lighting/images of set:
Costume designer:
Comments on costume/images of costume:
Discuss three significant moments in the musical and explain why they are important.
Discuss your favourite numbers and explain why you think they are significant.
Evaluate the performances of at least two performers.
Include an image of each main character.
Include images to demonstrate choreography and staging.
Add detailed analysis of the aspects of the production and their effectiveness. This is where you can make the review specific to your course. It might be linked to an exam question.
To find out more and book tickets for Six, visit: https://www.sixthemusical.com/london