Question
Describe a live performance you have watched.
Sample answer
Three years ago I watched the play 'Romeo & Juliet' by William Shakespeare at the city theatre that I consider a worth watching theatrical performance. The play lasted for about 1 and half hour and I as well as the 200 audiences of the play thoroughly enjoyed and acclaimed the play.
The city theatre is famous for quality performance by the top class performers. The time when we heard that a team is coming from London to perform Romeo and Juliet, we planned to watch it. We knew very little about the actors and actresses but heard that they are quite popular in theatrical world in London. After the play began I noticed a pin drop silence on the theatre except the performers' voices and background music. The costumes of the performers were just the way it should be. Their dresses, stage, music, their make-up, their accent, the passionate acting created an illusion of real Romeo-Juliet era. The play went on and the story continued as --
"Two young people fall in love the moment they met but their families are bitter enemies. The relationship between Romeo & Juliet fueled the angers and bitterness of the two families. The two innocent lovers get caught in the middle of a trap. The tragic end of their lives and the eternal victory of love described in Shakespeare's gorgeous language makes it a worth watching theatrical performance."
The professional and astounding acting, captivating dialogues, intense romantic tale, wrenching separation and the tragic twist of tale make the play unforgettable and timeless. The production and acting were superb and highly acclaimed. I still remember a news article later on that acclaimed the actors, actresses of the London team and the superb professionalism and artistic production of a great play.
Tips for answering this cue card topic:
A theatrical performance refers to a live play performance by actors in front of the audiences. To answer this cue card try to remember a play you have watched in a theater. If you have never watched such a live theatrical performance, try to visualize one and describe it.
You can either talk about a famous play that you watched in a theater like a play written by a famous play writer (Shakespeare is most famous for his playwriting and his plays are performed almost everywhere). Alternatively you can also talk about a play that was written by a play writer in your country or was made based on a historically significant event of your country.
The play is usually performed in a theater or a big auditorium. Sometimes temporary theaters are made for the purpose. You should describe what play it was and who the play writer was. Then talk about your reason to go there and how much the ticket cost you (if it was not free).
Give a summary of the story line and describe how the play went on. To give a through description of the topic in the due time, try to tell the story in 45 seconds and then make some comments from a critic’s point of view.
Since the cue card asks you to talk about a worth watching theatrical performance, you must mention that this was a very fantastic performance and the performance of the actors were highly appreciated. Relate the story line with the significance of it and give reason why you recommend others to watch it.
You should not mention that that the play was not a good one to watch or it did not attract you that much because you are not talking about a theatrical performance rather you are talking about a worth watching theatrical performance.
For the question ‘who participated’ you can tell the name of some famous theatrical performers or can make a general statement that you do not know their names but you know that they are highly acclaimed performers.
For the question “The acting and quality of the production” you should praise the performance and mention some of the reason that made it a good play to watch. Some of you won’t have the understanding of the production of the play and yet make some general statements that the production was good, people praised the acting and production, it touched you and people were highly appraising the performance.
Finally say that you enjoyed it very much and this was a very high quality theatrical performance that you personally feel others should watch.
If you can answer this cue card, you would also be able to answer the following cue cards:
1. Describe a live performance you have watched.
2. Describe a performance that you enjoyed.
3. Describe a public event or performance that you enjoyed very much.
