I would like to begin by commending you on your organization and presentation of this project. After reading the prompt, I was conscious of whether or not you included what was required while reviewing the project and you did. The project not only went beyond what was required, but also did so in a way that was clear and engaging. The bolded titles for each section made a viewer’s comprehension of the project’s goal much easier. The introductory paragraph of “creative reality” gave the reader a well-articulated understanding of the projects theme. The sub-theme of adolescents was a very topic. However, I would have liked to see a stronger introduction to adolescents as a sub-theme. The summary was well written but did not fully tie together “creative reality” as the over-all theme until the last sentence. Your use of hyperlinks throughout the project was both impressive and helpful when reading the summaries of the show. I also enjoyed the discussion of human connection through performance on stage in comparison to simply documentary film. It is true that the rawness of a live performance speaks to the audience with a whole new meaning. The examples of performance groups in North Carolina also enriched the “community connection” paragraph by giving specific details. The ending “extended entries” on plays and films at the end of the project were also very good. I was impressed that instead of the required 2 entries you went beyond and did double the amount. However, I am going to contradict myself and say that I wish you had done two and gone into a more in depth and extended analysis of the two. I would have enjoyed more visuals of the pieces being discussed (and this is a note for the whole project) because acting is a visual art and another dimension seems to be lost without them. Yet, as a whole, as stated earlier, this project was very impressive and nicely organized. Thank you for sharing your work.

-Margaret

One thing I might suggest is that you possibly will want to not have the running time, release year, and other information like that take up so much space in your program. It seems to me like that’s wasted space where you could include additional photographs or other things that are more visually stimulating and interesting. You can still have this information, but maybe at the very end of the post or in smaller font somewhere more discrete. Also, the list of links at the very end of your post is a little unorganized. It is a lot for the reader to take in at once. No one is going to want to sit and click ten links in a row and read through all that information.

I really like how you guys started off your introduction to the festival and attempted to define the term “creative reality” through a quote by a renowned documentary filmmaker. I was very impressed with your poster, as it mixes emotive images with just enough text and compelling description about the ideas behind your festival and your themes and sub themes. I am also impressed by the overall visual flow of your presentation and the poster. It is very easy to read and is inviting for the viewer.

One suggesting that I would make is that I would not necessarily put all of the hyperlinks in a row in the same sentence. I prefer to intersperse the various reviews and links to the official websites of the plays or films. Also, after reading the entire post, I feel that your overall theme would be easier to understand if you narrowed it down to something more specific than the broad subject of struggle. I believe that your selected works do not have enough in common in terms of documenting a specific type of struggle. I may suggest centering your entire festival on a specific type of struggle or ordeal that humanity has underwent, such as familial strife or natural disasters.

To put it simply, show the other perspective. Sadly, there are many examples out there of people glorifying war and violence. You could screen anything from the old WWII era newsreels–American propoganda justifying the war and encouraging Americans to invest in the war–to press conferences held in our times to footage from any of the many war video games being played. It might even be interesting to set up a booth where people who have just watched your films and/or plays could play these war video games. Juxtaposition is an incredibly powerful rhetorical device.

As far as the pamphlet itself, I thought it was wonderfully organized. As Bryana Roberts noted, the .pdf formatting made for a crisp looking final product. The formatting was aesthetically appealing, and I loved your inclusion of images. I was discouraged by the presence of numerous typos throughout the program; they diminished what would have been a very high mark of professionalism. But on the whole, the program made me want to continue reading it, which meant it was successful at its job.

I congratulate you on the work that you have done, and I hope that you will continue this good work into the future.