Evaluate!

Purpose of the Evaluation

• To provide feedback to the Playwright;
• To provide a selection of plays suitable for rehearsed readings during the regular season;

In General

• Try to be as positive as possible with your comments. Keep criticism tactful and constructive.
• You may fill in the “Comment” sections at the bottom of the form (feel free to continue on the back of the form), but it is not required. Remember, however, that for those playwrights who do not receive a rehearsed reading, the critique is the only feedback they will receive.
• Be objective.  Critique the play, not the playwright. Many of the playwrights are writing their first play; some are high school students who may improve tremendously with proper encouragement.

Evaluation Questions

1. Is the dialogue appropriate?: It should be character-specific, and reflect the character’s thoughts, feelings, unique qualities, and life experiences.
2. Is the dialogue over/under written?: Does the playwright use subtext appropriately? Do the characters speak naturally?
3. Do you find the characters interesting?: Do you care about these characters? Do you want to know what they'll do next? In some plays it may be appropriate for characters to be caricatures or less than three dimensional (e.g. a farce).
4. Are the characters' motivations clear?: Is it clear why the characters do what they do? Motivation is particularly important when applied to the major conflicts within the play.
5. Are the characters well developed?: Principle characters should be well-developed individuals with strong emotions, unique attributes, goals, desires, etc. There should be a discernible arc as the play progresses toward resolution.
6. Is the plot well developed?: In simple terms, a beginning (introduce characters and major conflict), a middle (action/obstacles), and an ending (resolution).
7. Is the plot logical or appropriate?: Do events occur logically or reasonably given the world of the play? That is, does the plot fit within the boundaries of your suspension of disbelief?
8. Does the plot constantly move forward?: Even if the play's time structure is non-linear (e.g. flashbacks, etc.), the plot must move forward.
9. Is the ending appropriate?: Is the resolution logical within the play's context, or does it employ an unforeshadowed, unanticipated miraculous event or character transformation?
10. Does the play hold your interest?: Purely subjective. What may be of interest to you may not necessarily interest someone else. In either case, it is helpful for the playwright to understand the rationale behind your response. Also, a play should not be rejected merely because you feel it lacks interest. This decision should be made by the individual theaters.

  The preceding questions may not be applicable to non-traditional plays.  

Question Answers

1. YES: The question is true throughout most of the play.
2. NO: The question is false throughout most of the play or significant violations occur frequently.
3. SOMEWHAT: Neither YES or NO is appropriate.

Script Ratings

1. RECOMMENDED FOR READING: A script to which attention must be paid. With a tune-up, it could be produced this season.
2. RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS: A script with strong potential, but there are problems in the script that need to be addressed.
3. NOT RECOMMENDED: A script with intermittent merit that is not in adequate shape to be read.