Beginning July 1, 2009 for the 2009-2010 season and beyond, the following will be the categories and criteria used by NJACT Perry Award reviewers to evaluate a show produced by an NJACT member theater. If you would like to comment on the new review criteria, please do so in the new NJACT Theater Forums.

Reviewers must provide a score from 0-10 for each of the criteria in each category.

DIRECTION

• Effective Storytelling
  How effective was the direction in telling the overall story?
  Did it appear to demonstrate a consistent vision that offered a clear and effective interpretation of the material? Was it successful in bringing out the play’s most essential ideas without excluding lesser yet important ones? Is the story told in a unified and absorbing manner? Or does the production fail to communicate key themes, or take full advantage of the dramatic or comic moments, or fail to fully engage you in the story?



• Character Development
  How well did the director deliver believable, engaging and empathetic characters?
  Did the actors cast have the appropriate talent level, performance style, and physicality for their roles? Were the various elements of the production (set and dressing, costuming, props, etc.) coordinated in a way that supported character development? On the whole, did the performances convey the emotional depth and clarity required by the play? Were character motivations clear, believable and consistent? Or did the actors appear to be sleep walking through the story without dimensionalizing their characters?



• Creativity/Originality
  How creative, interesting and original was the direction?
  Was the approach to the material fresh and unique? Was the staging imaginative, lively, and interesting? Did it seem like an entirely new show while still remaining faithful to the material? Or did the production appear to be a very familiar by-the-numbers execution of the script?



• Level of Difficulty
  How difficult was the show to stage?
  Is it a production requiring the coordination of unusual or complicated technical elements like projection systems, on stage rain storms, flying children, or other mechanical elements? Are there many fully-realized characters with complex motivations and relationships that need to be balanced? Or is this a simple show to stage, with simple themes and only a few simple characters?



• Effective Blocking
  How effective was the director’s blocking?
  Were the actors’ movements and placements on stage highly effective in building dramatic or comic moments? Was blocking used to develop character, or define relationships between characters? Was the blocking clearly motivated, fluid, and appropriately balanced based on the objectives of each scene? Was the playing area used to its fullest advantage? Or did the blocking often look awkward and contrived?



• Coordination of Technical and Musical Aspects
  How well did the director coordinate the technical and/or musical aspects of the production?
  Were scenery, lighting, costumes, properties and sound imaginatively and fully integrated for the best dramatic or comic effect? If it was a musical, were the songs, dancing and spoken scenes unified for the best possible impact? Or did the technical and/or musical elements fail to cohesively support the production in any meaningful way and clearly took a back seat to the acting?



• Pacing
  How well did the director manage the pacing of the story?
  Did the play move along smoothly, quickly and in a manner called for by the material? Was the show staged to minimize the number and length of blackouts? Did the actors pick up their cues in a timely manner? Or did the show seem to drag on interminably?

CHOREOGRAPHY

• Supports Storytelling
  How well did the choreography support the storytelling?
  Did it advance the story, help reveal character, and add energy and excitement to the whole production? Did it keep with the style and genre of the piece? Did it blend with the music and/or the world in which the story was set? Or did it appear to have little association with the kind of story being told and didn’t appear well integrated with the rest of the production?



• Creativity/Originality
  How creative, interesting and original were the dance moves?
  Were they fresh? Were the routines throughout the show varied? Did it demonstrate a lot of exciting new ideas? If you’ve seen the production before, how much appeared to be original choreography and how much was restaged from other professional productions? (Check the program for clues.) If there was restaged choreography was it creatively and effectively adapted to the new environment? Or have you seen this same choreography many times before in other productions by other choreographers?
  
  
• Level of Difficulty
  How difficult was it to compose and stage the choreography?
  Was the choreography complex or technically challenging (dream ballets, tap, Fosse)? Were there large production numbers? Were there many individual numbers? Did it utilize and blend a variety of styles? Or was the amount and complexity of the choreography very limited?
  
  
• Execution
  Was the choreography cleanly executed?
  Was it appropriately suited to the abilities and technique of the performers? Did the performers appear well-rehearsed so their timing was sharp, their steps in sync where appropriate and their movements natural and fluid? Or did the performers appear uncomfortable, unsure of what they were doing, or out of their league relative to skills required by the choreography?
  
  
• Utilization of Space
  How well did the choreographer utilize the space available?
  Was the space utilized to the fullest necessary advantage in a creative and interesting way? Or did the stage often appear overcrowded, jammed up, or inappropriately unbalanced?

LIGHTING DESIGN

• Supports Storytelling
  Overall, how well did the lighting design support the storytelling?
  Did it enhance character, underscore or create dramatic beats, or otherwise enrich key moments in the show? Or is the lighting plan so generic and disconnected from the story that it could have been used for any show?



• Creativity/Originality
  How creative was the designer’s lighting plan?
  Was there an interesting and unique use of shadows, colors and textures? Was there subtly and creativity use in the timing of cues, such as slow cues to build intensity with the emotion of a scene, or fast, hard cues to punctuate comic moments? Did the designer use creative lighting solutions to overcome difficult challenges posed by the material, the staging, or the performing space? Or did this just appear to be a paint-by-numbers effort?



• Creates an Environment
  How well does the lighting create an appropriately realistic and believable environment for the play?
  Is the lighting unique and appropriate to the world created by the director and other designers? Does the lighting help differentiate time and place? Does the lighting establish mood appropriate to the play and shift with the unique and shifting moods of the play?



• Technical Execution
  How well are the technical aspects of the lighting executed?
  Was the lighting motivated from sources provided or inferred by the set design and staging, or did light sources seem arbitrary? Based on the context of the scenes, was the stage properly lit so as to reveal the actors’ faces as appropriate, or were actors performing in the dark or walking through unexplained shadows when they shouldn’t have been? Were the use of levels appropriate and effective, or were they intrusive? If there were special effects, were they believably executed? If there was a large burning fireplace in the scene, did the light have realistic characteristics that suggested fire, or did it just look like a static red light?



• Level of Difficulty
  How difficult was it to execute the lighting plan the designer attempted?
  Was this a show with 200 lighting cues? Were there many special effects or lighting challenges the designer had to overcome? Did the lighting plan require a high degree of proficiency? Or was the lighting plan very simple, fundamental and without significant challenge?



• Use of Available Resources
  How well did the lighting designer seem to make use of the available resources?
  Some theaters have limited space and equipment. If this was the case, how effective was the lighting in supporting the director’s vision and meeting the needs of the show based on the resources you could see? Other theaters have more and better technical equipment. Based on what appeared to be available, how well did the lighting design effectively and fully leverage the resources to the fullest best advantage? Or did the resources appear to be under utilized?

SOUND DESIGN

• Supports Storytelling
  Overall, how well did the sound design support the storytelling?
  Did it help create the world of the play without being distracting? If the play was conceptual did the sound support the concept? If the play required realistic sound design, did the cues feel real and specific to the locale? When appropriate, was it used to enhance understanding of character; create time, place, or mood; underscore dramatic beats; or otherwise support key moments in the show? Or did sound design just focus predominantly on the role of amplification, and pre-show entertainment and miss opportunities to further enrich the story?



• Creativity/Originality
  How creative, interesting and original was the sound design?
  Did the sound designer use a combination of sound amplification, sound effects, and/or music in a fashion that was unique? Was there original music recorded for the production? If there were recorded sound cues, did they appear to be originally and uniquely recorded and/or edited for the production such as radio or TV broadcasts?



• Incorporating Music
  How well did the sound design utilize recorded music and/or support live musical accompaniment? If it was a straight play, was recorded pre-show, intermission and exit music used? If so, was it appropriate to the mood of the play? If it was supposed to be period music, did it appear to be from the correct period and of an appropriate style based on the time period and location of the play? Was underscoring used and was it effective in supporting scenes? Was incidental music used during scene transitions and was it appropriate and effective in maintaining or shifting the mood? Or was there little or no music used at all and opportunities were missed to enrich the theatrical experience?
  
  If the show was a musical, was the orchestra balanced with the singers and actors speaking over the underscoring? Were the sounds of the various instruments in the orchestra properly balanced so they could be heard appropriately in the final mix? Or did the sound of the orchestra overshadow the acting and singing performances?



• Level of Difficulty
  How difficult was it to execute the sound design for this show?
  Was it a musical with a large cast, many body mics and a large orchestra that required careful balance and execution? Did the recorded sound effects appear to be layered in such a way that multiple sounds are mixed to appear seamless? Did the sound design require a high degree of proficiency? Was this a production with 100 sound cues interwoven with the play or musical, or was it just a simple sound design, with little or no amplification, basic pre-show music and just a few stock sound effects?



• Technical Execution
  How well were the technical aspects of sound executed?
  If amplification was used, did the actors’ voices sound natural, or did they sound “canned” or over-amplified? Was the fidelity of the amplification clear, without feedback and free of the sound of actors rustling costumes or sets creaking beneath their feet? Was the mix between actors, music, and sound effects appropriately balanced? Did the speakers provide full coverage so the entire audience could hear well? If body mics were used, was their placement hidden or otherwise unobtrusive unless called for by the context of the play?
  
  If no amplification was used, was the fidelity of the recorded music or recorded sound effects clear and the levels appropriate? Were recorded sound cues appropriately edited or mixed to avoid clunky, distracting cuts or noises? If sound cues were executed as “practicals” (sound effects made by cast or crew members live during the performance) did they sound appropriately realistic and could they be heard by the entire audience?



• Use of Available Resources
  How well did the sound designer seem to make use of the available resources?
  On the whole, how good was the sound quality given the equipment that appeared to be available and the natural acoustics of the playing area?

COSTUME DESIGN

• Supports Storytelling
  Overall, how well did the costume design support the storytelling?
  Did the costumes fit within the world of the play and add to the visual environment suggested by the set, lighting and sound design? If a realistic set was not used, or if no set was used at all, did the costumes help to clearly establish the world of the play? If the production was designed to take place in a different period from the original production (e.g. Macbeth set in the 1930s), did the new costumes effectively express the re-imagined world? Did they help articulate relationships between characters and help define and express each character?



• Creativity/Originality
  How creative, interesting and original was the costume design?
  Did the designer find new and interesting ways to communicate mood, period or character through the costumes? Did the production appear to require many hand-made costumes and original, unique costume designs?



• Level of Difficulty
  How difficult was it to execute the costume design for this show?
  Was this a show with a large cast requiring many period costumes? Was this a concept show in which every actor required unique and specific costumes to support the concept? Were the costumes made of materials that were difficult to work with, or required very fine detail work? Did the production appear to require many hand-made costumes? Or was this a show that was costumed from wardrobe hanging in the actors’ own closets?



• Attention to Detail
  How well were the details executed in the costume design?
  If it was a period piece, did the costumes appear to be from the correct period? Did the condition of the costume support the scene, dirty and ragged in a prison, clean and well pressed in a ballroom? Were characters appropriately accessorized with purses, hats, umbrellas, canes, etc?



• Effective Use of Colors & Fabrics
  How effective were the designer’s choices of colors and fabrics?
  Did they indicate relevant information such as time of day, weather, financial status, occupation, and/or personality traits? Did they work together with the lighting and the set design to form an appropriate and effective style for the production?



• Fit, Function and Construction
  How well were the costumes made?
  Do the costumes appear to be well-constructed and tailored to fit the actors appropriately? Were they designed and made to allow the actors to move freely and perform their roles without restriction?



• Hair and Makeup
  How well do the hair and makeup blend with the costuming to support the story?
  Is the hair and makeup consistent with character, time and place? Did hair and makeup reflect such things as heredity, environment, age, race, temperament and health? If wigs were used, were they in good condition, appropriate in style, realistic looking and functional (stayed in place)? Were there many costume changes that also required hair and makeup changes? If actors aged over the course of the story, did they appear to age appropriately and realistically?

PROPERTIES

• Supports Storytelling
  How well did the props support the storytelling?
  Did they fit within the world of the play? Did they help suggest time period, location, or character? Did they support the suspension of disbelief, or did they distract you and take you out of the story?



• Creativity/Originality
  How creative, interesting and original were the props in the show?
  Were there props that needed to be made because they do not exist in real life? Were there hand-made props that appeared to require a high-level of creativity and skill such as puppets, or mechanical props?



• Level of Difficulty
  How difficult was it to execute the props for this show?
  Was this a show with 150 unique props? Was cooked or prepared food used as a prop? Was a prop or props required to realistically change age or condition over the course of the play? Were there props that appeared to be custom made for the production? Were there complex mechanical props involved? Did the props demonstrate a high-level of authenticity (actual period magazines, newspapers, etc) suggesting a lot of research and leg work? Or were of the props minimal, basic, and the kind you could find in anyone’s basement or garage?



• Detail and Authenticity
  How well did the property master attend to the details?
  If it was a period piece, did the props appear to be from the correct period? If significant time passes, was that reflected in the props? (e.g. phones, desk lighters change style with the passage of time.) If brand named items were used (cigarettes, canned goods, etc), were the brands appropriate the time, place, and character? If a newspaper is used and the audience can read the headlines, is it the right date? Are the headlines and photos appropriate to the world of the play? If the newspaper was supposed to be fresh from the newsboy’s hand, did it look new or did it look like it had been used in every performance for the past two weeks?



• Functionality
  How well did the props function based on how they were supposed to be used in the show?
  If the prop was a lighter and the actor was supposed to use it, did it actually work? If the prop was a flash light the actor was supposed to use, did it actually light up? Where the props appropriately easy to use, or did actors appear to be struggling to make the prop work?



• Construction
  Were the props in good physical condition?
  If they were custom made, were they well constructed, and appropriately realistic and durable? If they were found items, were they in good or appropriate condition? Or were the props flimsy and falling apart during the show? If they were constructed, did they appear to be made of the appropriate materials? If the prop is a sword, does it appear to be made of metal (even if it is not)? If the prop is a gun, does it look like a real metal gun, or does it look like a plastic toy?

SCENIC DESIGN

• Supports Storytelling
  Overall, how well did the scenic design support the storytelling?
  Did it clearly establish theme and mood, and when relevant, communicate place and locale, time and period? Did the details of the set help the audience understand both the characters and the play’s subtext? Did the scenic design allow for smooth and efficient scene changes? If it was a unit set, did it allow for clear and pleasing shifts in locale? Did the scenic design help bring the play to exciting, evocative visual life?



• Creativity/Originality
  How creative, interesting and original was the scenic design?
  Was the set visually beautiful? When you first saw the scenic design, did it arouse curiosity, excitement, or a sense of anticipation for the story that was about to unfold? Were unique or unusual materials used to create or dress the playing area? Did the designer employ creative solutions to challenges posed by the script, restrictions in the playing space, or presented by the director’s staging choices? Or was the set very simple, familiar and without exceptional merit?



• Level of Difficulty
  How difficult was it to execute the scenic design for this show?
  Was it a complex set to build and dress? Were materials used that were difficult to work with? Were there multiple levels, staircases, or other unique and challenging architectural elements? Did the scenic design involve challenging special effects like trap doors, projection systems, a two level set that rotated, or a real on stage rain storm? Or was the scenic design based on a simple, single-level set consisting of a few standard flats?



• Use of Available Space
  How well did the scenic designer use the available playing space?
  Were entrances, exits, stairs, levels, windows, furniture, etc., placed in relationships that were advantageous to the actors and the play? How well did the designer use or adapt the playing space to fulfill the needs of the production? For example, if it was a very small playing space and a large cast, how well did the designer overcome that limitation to avoid an overcrowded playing space? Conversely, if it was a very large playing space and a small cast for an intimate show, how well did the designer use the space to keep the story intimate.



• Attention to Detail
  How well were the details executed in the scenic design?
  When a door was opened, could you see backstage or did it appear to be another room? If it was an interior room, were there moldings, light switches, electrical outlets, heating registers, etc? Was the set appropriately and effectively dressed with fine details that suggested character, period or location? Or is the overall execution sloppy so you can see paint from a previous production bleeding through flats, or the seams between flats were visible, or there was an obvious lack of set dressing in a room that the story suggested should look “lived in”?



• Scenic Painting
  How well was the playing area painted?
  Was there a unified style or “look” expressed in the scenic painting? Did the style, colors and textures chosen blend appropriately with the set design, lighting, dressing and costumes to support the story? If faux painting was employed, was is appropriately realistic? For example, once finally lit, did the painted stone wall look sufficiently like stone for the purposes of the show, or the painted flooring look like a wood floor? Did the scenic painting employ texturing, stenciling, or sponging to give the playing area a more realistic feel? Were painted drops used and did the painting demonstrate exceptional skill and execution? Or did the scenic painting simply employ flat monochrome color scheme that did little to make the playing area come to life?



• Set Dressing
  How well was the playing area dressed?
  Did the dressing help to bring the playing space to life? Did each piece of dressing appear to have a clear and appropriate place and purpose in the playing area and in the context of the story? If it was a period piece, was the dressing sufficiently authentic or appropriate to the period? Was there sufficient dressing to be effective without restricting the performances, unnecessarily cluttering the playing space, or making scene changes difficult? If it was a unit set or there was no set at all, were the few dressing choices strong enough to establish mood, time, or place, etc?



• Construction
  How well was the set constructed?
  Did it appear to be sturdy, superior workmanship? Did it appear to be safe for the performers? Did functional elements like windows and doors work properly and realistically? Or were doors always ajar because they couldn’t close properly; or did flats wobble when the doors were slammed?

MUSIC DIRECTION

• Supports Storytelling
  Overall, how well did the performances of the music and the vocals support the story?
  Did the music flow smoothly throughout the show, contributing to and enhancing the play’s narrative? Did vocal performances convey the emotional depth and clarity required by the show?



• Vocal Performances
  On the whole, how well were the songs performed by the actors?
  Were songs performed with proper intonation, harmonies, diction, phrasing, rhythm, and style? Did the vocalists remain faithful to the score? Did both soloists and ensemble vocalists sing expressively and with notable competence and flair?



• Orchestra
  How well did the orchestra perform the music and complement the production?
  Were the tempos appropriately paced? Were the instruments properly tuned and played on key? Was there balance and blend between the sections of the orchestra? Were the instruments balanced with the vocalists? Was the size and make-up of the orchestra appropriate to the piece and the space? Did the orchestra maintain the integrity of the score? If there were creative changes made to the score, was it advantageous to the production?



• Level of Difficulty
  How difficult was it to execute the musical aspects of the production?
  Was this a show with more than an average amount of music? Was there a lot of underscoring requiring a lot of additional cues and tight coordination with the cast? Was it a large orchestra? Was the score complex (e.g. Sondheim vs. Rodgers and Hammerstein)? Was there a large chorus? Did the vocals require difficult harmonies?

PERFORMANCE

• Character Development
  How successful was the actor in creating an engaging and believable character?
  Did the actor fully and compellingly embody and articulate his or her character’s actions and intentions? Did the actor’s performance demonstrate a deep and subtle grasp of the text and subtext of the play? Were you engaged, even galvanized, by the actor’s creation of the life of the character? Did the character the actor created honor and extend the objectives of play?



• Level of Difficulty
  How difficult was the actor’s role?
  Were there many lines and/or challenging monologues? If it was a musical were the vocal parts challenging to sing? Did the role require a lot of dance and was the style of dance and/or the choreography complicated and require a high degree of skill? Were there many costume changes? Did the role require the actor to play a significant range of emotions and/or a character arch that needed to be clearly and believably communicated? Was the role especially physical? Did the role require the actor to play multiple characters? (e.g., In Man of La Mancha, Quixote, Cervantes and Quijana are three characters in one role.)



• Vocal Performance
  How well did the actor perform his or her songs?
  Were songs performed with proper intonation, pitch, harmonies, diction, phrasing, rhythm, and style? Did the actor successfully convey the meaning and intention behind the lyrics? Did the actor remain faithful to the score?



• Vocal Stage Craft
  How well did the actor use his or her speaking voice in support of the performance?
  When delivering spoken lines, was the actor’s voice projection sufficient for the audience to hear clearly? Was their diction clear so the audience could understand what they were saying? Did the actor demonstrate subtle vocal dynamics to support dramatic and comic moments, or communicate subtext? Did the actor employ a difficult, but realistic dialect to great effect?



• Body Language
  How well did the actor use body language to support his or her performance?
  Were the actor’s physical choices appropriately realistic or stylized? Did the actor’s body language communicate character, character status and relationships between characters? Did the actor have a strong stage presence?



• Execution of Blocking or Choreography
  How well did the actor execute his or her blocking and/or choreography?
  Did the actor’s position and movement on stage appear natural, believable for the character, and motivated by the context of the scene? Does the actor’s performance suggest an awareness of his or her place on the stage, mindful of audience sightlines, where the lights are focused, etc? Did the actor execute the choreography in a fluid and effortless manner and at a very high proficiency?

PRODUCTION

• Overall Production
  What is your overall score for this production?
  Consider all the technical, artistic and performance aspects of this production and provide a single score that represents how you feel it all fit together. Is the whole greater than the sum of its parts? Or are there some outstanding elements, but the pieces didn’t seem to come together well and hurt the overall impact of the production? Note that this score will be averaged with the final scores for each review category (direction, lighting, performance, etc.) to calculate the show’s final score for the Production category.

 

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