How To Write a Review

How to Write a Review
What is a review? A review is both subjective and objective in that you will express your personal
opinion about a performance, activity, or other specific event, but it willbe based on your informed
experience—that is you will present examples from the performance/activity/event to back up
your opinion.
Prewriting for a Review
The following questions are designed tohelp you generate and focus your ideas when writing a
review. You don’t have to answer all these questions but they will help you gather and organize the
information.
What questions
 What eventare you reviewing?
 What is the purpose of this event?
 What was performed? (titles, authors, examples of work)
When and Where questions
 When did this take place?
 Where did this take place?Who questions
 Who produced it?
 Who performed?
 Who attended?
How questions
 How did the audience react to it?
 How did you react to it?
 How well did it fulfill its purpose?Evaluation questions
 Did I like this in general? Why? Give concrete examples.
 Did I agree with the main theme/purpose? Why or why not?
 What specifically did I like/dislike? Why?
 Were theperformers/presenters/activities effective? Why or why not?
 How could it/they be improved? Why would particular changes help?
After you have answered these questions, begin selecting and organizing theinformation.

This document originally authored by Prof. Sonja Mongar

Page 1

Structure for a Review – Four to five paragraphs
Paragraph One - Introduction
 Introduce the event title, sponsor,purpose and any relevant background information.
 Briefly summarize the event.
Paragraph Two - Body
 Provide an overview, including performers’ names, titles of works, quotes from the work
andanything that happened of note.
Paragraph Three & Four – Body - Critique section- this is the more subjective portion of the
review.
 Provide your reactions to the event
 Was it interesting,...