Assignment: Analysis of Electra Performance

I've asked my students to attend a performance of Sophocles' Electra (staged by Westminster College as part of their Classical Greek Theatre Festival, performed Sept 21, 2015 at BYU). They will analyze the play in a brief blog post.

(A few students who cannot attend will analyze either this BBC Radio dramatized version of Electra or this MGM 1962 film version of Electra)

This analysis is not to be a traditional theater review, per se. I do want my students to give a bit of personal response to the experience, but I want them to focus on analyzing the play according to these categories. Since no one person could address all or even most of the following, I expect that as a class, students will be sure all of these topics do get addressed and perhaps debated, each student responding to the play and to each other, taking about 300 words apiece to address one or more of the following:

1. Greek history and culture. What does this play suggest to us about the values and customs of the ancient Greeks, and to what extent can we identify with those, or with the themes of the play?
2. Tragedy. Does this drama fit Aristotle's definitions of Greek tragedy? Is there a character with a tragic flaw, who has a realization (too late for fixing things)? Is there a purging of emotions via pity and fear? 
3. Delivery. This is one of the five "canons" of ancient rhetoric, with obvious borrowings from drama. Considering gestures and movement, as well as voice (quality, projection, etc.), my students should examine the performance of one or more characters in terms of their delivery. (This could include a general assessment of the acting of a given actor.)
4. Narration. I want my students to pay attention to how many of the actions of the play are not depicted, but reported. They should analyze this onstage storytelling. How does the actor engage the other characters and/or the audience as these stories are told? What are the narrative techniques devised either by the playwright or used by the actor?
5. Logos / Topics of Invention What types of arguments are made and what kinds of support (topics of invention) are applied?
6. Pathos. Obviously emotion is a central component of Greek drama. How is emotional handled? Is it all the same? Is it tied to moments of persuasion or development in the thought and actions of lead characters? How is emotion tied to the content or text, and how much is it tied to the acting and delivery?
7. Rhetoric of the Medium (only for those not viewing the live performance). How did listening to the drama (as opposed to viewing it) change the delivery and did this affect the appeal or engagement of the audience? Or, how did the techniques of film (as opposed to viewing a stage performance) influence how the viewers were guided to respond to the play? Did music, camera work, or editing influence the success of the themes or overall performance?

Students should use the label "analyzing Electra" in their posts.