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?