Tartuffe-by moliere
The essay (800-1000 words) requires students to demonstrate the ability to recognize aesthetic standards and to apply them to a theatrical event, that is, to the production’s artistic choices. Should you need to cite a source please use MLA guidelines.

Please see the course syllabus regarding plagiarism.

The essay involves three basic components (outside of the essay’s introduction and conclusion). In general, the essays should follow this format:
(Approximate word count – Your word count is not part of the grading rubric)
Introduction 100
Component One 300
Component Two 200
Component Three 200
Conclusion 100

Component 1: Identify a specific moment from the production that stood out for you. Choose a moment from the production that stays in your memory for some reason. Perhaps the moment exemplifies the most exciting or moving scene from the production. Perhaps the visual impact of a scene struck you as especially eye-catching or effective. Alternately, you may choose a moment that for some reason seemed markedly different from the rest of the production. You might even argue that a moment stood out because the choices seemed not to work together effectively. This section involves three tasks:
• Describe the moment. Literally, what happened in the moment you choose? What did the audience see and hear? You should describe the moment in sufficient detail so that even someone who had not seen the show would have a clear idea of the stage picture. At minimum, you should relate what characters were on stage, what they were doing, and what the sets/lights/costumes looked like.
• Contextualize the moment in terms of the plot. When in the course of the plot did this scene take place? What happened that moment in relation to the rest of the plot?
• Explain why the moment stood out for you. Was it particularly exciting or moving? Visually or aurally stunning? Was it a departure from the rest of the production? Or did the moment stand out because it was less effective than other moments. Make sure you clarify for readers exactly how you define value terms such as effective or ineffective.

Components 2 and 3: Identify and evaluate two production choices that contributed to the moment. Every moment on stage is the result of multiple choices made by different artists who interpret the playwright’s text: directors, designers, and actors. In section 1 you identified a single moment and explained why that moment stood out for you. In sections 2 and 3 you analyze two of the specific choices that contributed to the moment you identified (one choice analyzed in section 2, one choice analyzed in section 3). These sections each involve three tasks:
• Identify a specific artistic choice (ex., a sound effect, a particular costume, the set in a specific scene, an actor’s interpretation of a particular moment or speech).
• Describe that choice in detail, which includes crediting the artist(s) responsible for that choice by name. Exactly what did this choice look like and/or sound like? For instance, if you choose to analyze a costume, you should give a detailed description of that costume, making sure that you identified the production’s costume designer. If you analyze an acting moment, you should describe the actions, expressions, positions, and line delivery of the actor in question as well as naming the actor. Use your program to locate the name of the appropriate artist. Note that directors’ and designers’ names sometimes appear on the title page of the program.
• Evaluate the choice’s effectiveness. What, and to what extent, did that choice contribute to the overall moment? How did the choice work with (or against) other choices in that moment? If you feel the choice was effective, explain how and why it was. If you feel the choice was ineffective, explain why. Remember that you have already made an argument (in section 1) about why the moment as a whole struck you. Your analysis and evaluation of the choices that made up that moment should support that original argument. For example, if you argue that all of the elements of production seemed to blend harmoniously in the striking moment, writing about how the lighting clashed with the costumes would contradict your argument.