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Applause and Advice – Class 8 Arts Chapter 4 Notes & NCERT PDF

Class 8ArtsChapter 4NCERT book: Kriti - Arts Class 8

Notes and a simple summary of Chapter 4 of the NCERT Class 8 Arts book, with the official chapter PDF, flashcards, an MCQ quiz and an AI tutor for your doubts.

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Chapter 4: Applause and Advice (Theatre)

Introduction

Performers put all their effort into making the audience happy — but they also expect something back: respectful behaviour, understanding of their hard work, and applause. Chapter 4 teaches the responsibility of being a good audience for any performing art, and the skill of writing a review.

Key Ideas

Being a good audience

When you sit in the audience, you are as important as the actors. Your duties:

  • Watch and listen respectfully with full attention.
  • Don't talk, fidget or use phones — small distractions disturb actors and other viewers.
  • Applaud at the right time, react kindly and appreciate the performers' effort.

    • In short: applaud, appreciate, congratulate, offer help — and never disrespect or distract.

    The Nāṭyaśhāstra on success (Ch 27, stanza 3)

    "daśhāngā mānuṣhī siddhirdevikī dvividhā smrtā | nānāsattvāśhrayakṛtā śharīrī vānmayī tathā||" — human success has ten features and divine success two; they are expressed mostly vocally (vānmayī) and physically (śārīrī).

    So appreciation can be shown in two ways:

  • Vocally — speech, exclamations and writing.
  • Physically — clapping, standing up after the show, giving gifts.

    • This chapter focuses on the first — writing about a performance.

    What is a review?

    A review is thoughtfully observing, reflecting and giving feedback on a performance, product or experience — what worked, what could improve, and how well the goal was met. It should be written so well that the reader feels they are viewing it again. Reviews exist for books, products, paintings, projects and sports as well as films, music, drama and dance.

    Good reviewing is not just about finding faults. It is about appreciating strengths, noticing details, and offering suggestions.

    A theatre review looks at acting, storytelling, voice, movement, costumes, lighting and sets — celebrating what worked and suggesting how it could connect more deeply.

    Three types of reviews

  • Self-review — creators examine their own work before presenting it.
  • Peer review — contemporaries in the field give suggestions, before or after the show.
  • Critical review — obtained after the show; a detailed analysis of all aspects, strengths, weaknesses and scope for improvement.

    • The circle time after every chapter is itself a form of review!

    Preparing to review (Activity 4.1 steps)

  • Research the play — name, playwright, basic plot (no spoilers); setting or time period.
  • Your mindset — go with an open mind; be honest, fair and respectful; no bias towards a team or actor.
  • Know the genre — comedy, tragedy, musical, historical or modern.
  • Find out about the team — professionals, students or a community group.
  • Keep a journal — jot notes during or right after the show.
  • Revise what to observe — acting, lights and sound, story, set design, costumes, flow of scenes and entries/exits, and how visible errors were handled.
  • Have no expectations — every production is different.

    • Writing the review

  • Don't be mean or personal — critique the performance, never insult a person.
  • No spoilers.
  • Avoid vague phrases like "it was not bad" — justify opinions.
  • Balance positives and negatives — always find something good; the purpose is to help improve.
  • Right length — detailed but easy to read; about 300 words is good for beginners.
  • Follow a structure so the reader can follow easily, while keeping your own style.

    • Activities in the Chapter

  • 4.1 Play Watching — watch plays in any language with school or family and write a review for every one.
  • 4.2 Watch and Reflect — look at the book's pictures and write a short review: genre, the scene being enacted (with possible dialogues), and your opinion of lighting, costumes, make-up and props.
  • Summative assessment examples — individually, write a review and read it aloud using voice skills; in groups, script a story from a Social Science or English textbook with scenes, music and dance, and perform a three-minute show. The 30-minute class play can also be used.

    • Key Terms

  • Audience — people watching a performance (दर्शक)
  • Applause — clapping in appreciation (तालियाँ / करतल-ध्वनि)
  • Review — thoughtful written feedback on a work (समीक्षा)
  • Critic — person who writes reviews (समीक्षक)
  • Self-review — reviewing your own work (आत्म-समीक्षा)
  • Peer review — review by fellow artists (सहकर्मी समीक्षा)
  • Critical review — detailed analysis after the show (आलोचनात्मक समीक्षा)
  • Spoiler — revealing a surprise ending (रहस्य उजागर करना)
  • Bias — unfair preference (पक्षपात)
  • Vānmayī — expressed through speech (वाङ्मयी)
  • Śārīrī — expressed through the body (शारीरी)
  • Flow — smooth movement between scenes (प्रवाह)

    • Artists & Traditions Mentioned

  • **Nāṭyaśhāstra, Chapter 27** — on the success of a performance and how appreciation is expressed.
  • The assessment rubric asks students to read professional reviews and learn about theatre critics in English and local languages.

    • Connect to Your Life

    Reviewing trains you to be a careful observer, a sensitive listener and a respectful communicator. The same balance — honest, fair, kind and specific — helps when you give feedback to friends or receive it yourself.

    Common Mistakes

  • Talking or using a phone during a show.
  • Writing only criticism, or only praise without reasons.
  • Making the review personal ("that actor is bad") instead of about the performance.
  • Giving away the ending.
  • Going in with fixed expectations from a film or earlier version.
  • Writing far too long or too short.

    • Let's Reflect

  • What did you learn about being a performer by understanding reviewing?
  • Is it easier to review your own work or others'? Which matters more?
  • Can you accept others' reviews as fairly as you give yours?

    • 💡 Key Learning Points

    • ✓A good audience watches respectfully, avoids distractions like talking or phones, and applauds and appreciates at the right time.
    • ✓The Nāṭyaśhāstra (Ch 27) says success is expressed vocally (vānmayī) and physically (śārīrī).
    • ✓A review thoughtfully observes and reflects on a work — appreciating strengths and suggesting improvements, not just finding faults.
    • ✓There are three types of review: self-review, peer review and critical review.
    • ✓A good review is prepared for, honest, fair, spoiler-free, balanced, justified and about 300 words for beginners.

    👨‍🏫 Teaching Tips

    • →Role-play good and bad audience behaviour and let students spot the differences.
    • →Connect circle time to the idea of review — show students they already practise self and peer review.
    • →Before a field trip or school show, give students the seven preparation steps as a checklist.
    • →Share two sample reviews — one vague, one justified — and let students improve the vague one.
    • →Use the book's pictures in Activity 4.2 for a short 150–300 word review in class.
    • →Have students read their reviews aloud using Chapter 1's voice skills.
    • →Invite students to find a professional review in a newspaper and discuss its structure.

    📋 Assessment Questions

    1. Can the student list three duties of a good audience member?
    2. Can the student explain the two ways of expressing appreciation from Nāṭyaśhāstra Ch 27?
    3. Can the student distinguish self-review, peer review and critical review?
    4. Does the student's written review justify opinions, balance positives and negatives, and avoid spoilers?
    5. Can the student name at least four elements to observe (acting, lights, sound, set, costumes, flow)?

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    Keep learning

    All chapters in Kriti - Arts Class 8

    1. 1. Bringing Words Alive — Play Reading
    2. 2. One Stage, Many Scripts
    3. 3. From Page to Stage
    4. 4. Applause and Advice
    5. 5. Discovering the Elements of Music
    6. 6. Musical Instruments
    7. 7. Indian Classical Music
    8. 8. Inspiration and Imagination
    9. 9. My World of Music
    10. 10. Inner Dynamics of Dance
    11. 11. Pan Indian Dance Forms
    12. 12. Dance for Well-being
    13. 13. Innovation, Inclusivity and Inspiring Change
    14. 14. A Presentation of Dance and Choreography
    15. 15. Elements and Principles of Visual Art and Design
    16. 16. Still Life in Colour
    17. 17. People in Places
    18. 18. Arts of the People, With the People, For the People
    19. 19. Campaign for Art Awareness