Kriti Class 8 Chapter 4, Applause and Advice, closes the Theatre unit by teaching two essential skills: how to be an attentive, respectful audience member (citing the Nāṭyaśhāstra’s siddhi tradition) and how to write a balanced ~300-word performance review.
What Kriti Class 8 Chapter 4 Covers
Being a good audience: performers work hard on and off stage, and an audience owes them attention and appreciation. The Nāṭyaśhāstra (Ch. 27) describes success shown in two ways: vocally, through words and exclamations, and physically, through clapping, standing ovations and gifts.
What a review is: reviewing means watching closely how the actors perform, how the story is told, and how voice, movement, costumes, lighting and sets work. It is about celebrating what made the performance strong and suggesting what could improve, not tearing it down.
Before the play (Activity 4.1): research the play, the playwright and the plot without spoilers, know its genre and period, and carry a notepad to jot down key moments.
Writing the review: critique the performance, never the person; be specific; balance praise with suggestions. Activity 4.2 asks you to review a play from photographs alone: the genre, the scene, possible dialogue, and the lighting, costumes and props.
Exercises in Chapter 4
- Circle Time discussion prompts and Assessment rubrics at the end of the chapter.
Read Kriti Class 8 Chapter 4 Online
More Chapters
- Previous: Chapter 3: From Page to Stage — Theatre-Making
- Next: Chapter 5: Discovering the Elements of Music
- All Art chapters and the other Class 8 books: Class 8 NCERT books 2026-27
- All Class 1 to 12 NCERT Textbooks: NCERT Books PDF (Class 1–12)
- Every book chapter by chapter: NCERT chapter wise PDF
FAQ
How does the Nāṭyaśhāstra describe an audience’s appreciation?
As success expressed vocally, through words and exclamations, and physically, through clapping, standing up and giving gifts.
What should a good theatre review avoid?
Personal or mean comments; it should critique the performance, not the performer, and suggest improvements.