Show report

3 double spaced page paper on this show

No citation allowed or need

Example attached (not on the same show

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4FD7617051…

Okay, three things:

1) As promised, here’s what I’m looking for in terms of papers.

Two major things I base grades on:

A) Focus — Your paper shouldn’t have a single sentence that’s not about your specific topic, not even in an opening paragraph. No general discussion of the show, and nothing you would only know by researching. Also — If you want to write about something other than my suggested topic, that’s possible, but you need to run it by me first.

B) Support — This is the main thing. For this class, the support for your ideas will generally come from a very specific place: the song lyrics. That’s because musicals tend to deal with their intended themes most specifically within their songs. Use the songs themselves to back up your points, using quoted lyrics from the songs in the body of your paper. (In this way you are clearly showing us what you mean, not just asking us to take your word for it. When you use the show’s own words to support your points, it’s hard for any reader to argue with you.)

Technical guidelines for any lyric-quoting within your paper. I will hold you to doing these correctly! (And you can see examples of correct lyric-quoting in the two sample papers I’ve attached.)

* All quoted lyrics are indented TWO TABS from the left margin (as opposed to when you start new paragraphs, which are indented only one tab).

* As a general rule, indent all quoted lyrics in this way, no matter how long they are, even if they are only a single line. Lyrics are like poetry — each line of the lyrics should go on its own separate line in your quotation. (See the sample papers attached here for examples of this.)

* Continue to double-space within each quotation, no different from the rest of your paper. Also regular double-spacing before and after your quotation. No extra spaces before or after.

* No quotation marks around indented quotes. (The indenting is enough — it already tells us that you’re quoting.)

* No citation necessary for any of these quotes — the lyrics are all from the show, the title of which you’re already letting us know within the body of your paper. You definitely don’t need to cite the website where you found the lyrics — they don’t own the lyrics. The show does.

* Do not quote entire songs!! Only quote as much material from the lyrics as you are going to specifically talk about.

* Names of shows are written in italics (Sweeney Todd). Names of songs are written in quotation marks (“Not While I’m Around”).

(Please take a careful look at the two sample papers I’m attaching here — I’m sending them specifically as good examples of how to handle quoted material within a paper. In general, the more you use lyrics from the show to back up your points, the more effective your paper is going to be.)

2) As I said above, attached are the two sample papers — both were written a couple of semesters ago, about the show Oklahoma! Please take a careful look at them — I’m sending them specifically as good examples of how to handle quoted material within a paper. In general, the more you use lyrics from the show to back up your points, the more effective your paper is going to be. These papers should help you in understanding the way to use lyrics to support your ideas, and they are also good examples of how to format lyric quotations in your paper.

3) Last, here’s my single suggested topic for the Company paper, if you’re planning to write this one. (Remember, if you don’t write a paper on Company, then you MUST write one on Sunday in the Park with George.)

The topic is open-ended enough to leave room for a lot of different approaches and opinions.

What does Company have to say about marriage?

That’s it. What does the show itself have to say about marriage? NOT “Do you think the show is right or wrong about marriage?” This is not a paper about what YOU have to say about marriage. The point is to look at Company in the same analytical way that we would look at a novel or a non-musical play, trying to examine it closely. Use examples and examples and examples! Do you think the show, in the end, supports marriage? Discourages marriage? Is ambivalent about marriage? Use a couple of the songs to support your opinion. Everyone’s paper should make sure to dive, at least to some degree, into “Marry Me A Little” and/or “Being Alive”, and either or both of these two songs could certainly form the entire basis of your paper. Some other songs that may or may not help you are “Sorry-Grateful”, “Getting Married Today”, “Happily Ever After” (if you want to compare it to one of the other two main Bobby songs), and “The Little Things You Do Together.” Use anywhere from one to three songs. (If you’re trying to use more than three songs, you’re not saying enough about each one.) If you only examine one song, make sure it’s one of the two big songs that Bobby sings.

No less than three full pages. (More is okay — but if you’re writing more than five pages, you’re a little outside the bounds of the assignment.)

If you want to send me something to take a look at in advance, feel free. Give me at least 24 hours to get back to you.

I don’t have time to look over multiple drafts from individual students — so just send me something once, please.

DUE DATE: Monday, October 16

If you have any questions about any of this, please email me and let me know!

See you Wednesday. We’ll be watching the first half of Sunday in the Park with George.