Drama criticism is the comparison, analysis, interpretation, and/or evaluation of dramatic works.
Various reference works describe literary criticism as essentially an opinion, supported by evidence, relating to theme, style, setting, historical context, or political context.
Although criticism may include some of the following elements in order to support an idea, criticism is NOT a plot summary, an author's biography, simply finding fault with the work.
Academic criticism should not be confused with a simple review of a play or performance. A review generally focuses only on the performance's enjoyability.
Researching, reading, and writing works of criticism will help you to make better sense of the work, form judgments, study ideas from different points of view, and determine on an individual level whether a literary work is worth reading or the performance worth seeing.
See also our Theatre Databases List.