We all watch movies, read books, listen to music, and go to the theater—yet it’s often hard to put into words what moved or upset us, especially when our impressions differ from those of others. Cultural experiences are an important part of our lives, and we want to express our views on what we see or hear as honestly, appropriately, and respectfully as possible.

In this performative lecture, we’ll watch excerpts from various performance works and discuss how we can “review” them. What tools help us describe our impressions? How do we formulate feedback and questions for artists? We’ll discuss how to describe our artistic impressions and our experience as audience members as simply and clearly as possible.