Introduction to Play Analysis

by Cal Pritner, Scott E. Walters

"To succeed in the theatre, students must have strong skills in analyzing plays." So states the authors' rationale for this concise text that offers a step-by-step approach to recognizing how plays work. Pritner and Walters guide the reader through four levels of reading a play. This approach progresses from a purely subjective and personal response, through objective information gathering, and on to more complex levels of interpretation. Each chapter of Introduction to Play Analysis introduces a concept that is then explored by studying its application to The Glass Menagerie, chosen for its simultaneous accessibility and complexity. Other examples rely on works by Sophocles, Molière, August Wilson, and Shakespeare. End-of-chapter questions can be applied to any play being analyzed. Table of Contents in The Why and What of Play Analysis FIRST IMPRESSIONS 1. The First Reading GATHERING INFORMATION 2. Given Circumstances 3. Theatrical Contract INTERPRETATION 4. Character 5. Conflict 6. Conflict Analysis Applied to a Scene 7. Supplemental Research BRINGING IT TOGETHER 8. Synthesis Analyzing Shakespeare's Hamlet / Character Maps / Key Terms

Genres: Theatre, Nonfiction, Textbooks

114 pages, Paperback

First published September 10, 2004

Reviews

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book introduced me to a few new tactics when reading plays (example: reading a play in one sitting so as to ingest it like an audience would), but most of these tactics (example: look up words you don’t know, take notes in margins, do external research) didn’t apply to me as I’ve already been doing most of these things. If I taught a freshman acting class in high school i would use this book, as I assume this book is used mostly in a classroom setting and less for leisurely reading like I used it for.

Also, they said not to read the plays they reference until you finish the book, but I didn’t and half of the book washed over me because I couldn’t reflect on what they were talking about or asking questions in reference to.

[Bridget]

Not going to lie, this book was really annoying haha. I read it for Acting 1 and honestly my least favorite part about doing theatre is having to score scenes/plays and analyze them the way this book asks you too.

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and straightforward text on how to analyze and really understand a play. This text was used in a class about analyzing plays for production. It is very easy to read and understand.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of a process.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise breakdown of how to effectively read plays good for anyone working in theatre.