Wikipedia:WikiProject Theatre/Article Structure

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WikiProject Theatre

Article Structure

Below is the suggested outline of Wikipedia articles related to theatre, in particular, plays. This suggested structure is a guideline that the WikiProject Theatre believes will help to make theatre-related articles readable and consistent in appearance and which we hope will assist editors in starting and improving these articles. We hope that you will take this guideline into consideration when editing articles on theatre.

Introduction (before TOC)

The introduction of each article should follow the rules set down at Wikipedia:Lead section. The introduction should begin with the name of the article in boldface and if it is a work (i.e.a play) it should also be italicised. The article should be referred to in the present tense (i.e. "Macbeth is a tragedy..." not "Macbeth was a tragedy..."). The lead paragraph of an article about a play should mention the creator(s) and a brief (2 sentence) overview of the plot. The introduction should briefly mention any derivative works (films, television shows), as well as any source material (based on a book, etc.) (For example, "How to Succeed in Business is based on the book How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying written in 1952 by Shepherd Mead.") As described in WP:LEAD, the introduction should explain why the article is notable and give a brief overview of the entire page. The lead section should not contain a detailed plot synopsis or in-depth information on the subject, except very briefly as overview/notability information.

Infobox (before TOC)

The infobox for play articles should be {{Infobox Play}}. For articles about specific theatre buildings or structures use {{Infobox Theatre}} and for biographical articles about actors use {{Infobox Actor}}.

NOTE: Many of the project's FA-class articles do not have an infobox. Infoboxes have been considered repetitive and unnecessary in those articles.

Play infobox specifics

The original language section of the play infobox should link to that languages article (i.e. [[English language|English]] not [[English]]) and the country of origin should use the three letter code provided on this page.

Theatre infobox specifics

The infobox for theatre buildings/structures should be {{Infobox Theatre}}. For articles about plays use {{Infobox Play}} and for biographical articles about actors use {{Infobox Actor}}. The country (when ambiguous or not well-known to most readers) should be entered using the three letter code provided on this page.

Actor infobox specifics

The infobox for actors/actresses should be {{Infobox Actor}}. For articles about plays use {{Infobox Play}} and for biographical articles about theatre buildings/structures use {{Infobox Theatre}}. Always use the form {{birth date and age|year of birth|month of birth|day of birth}} for a living person, otherwise use {{birth date|year of birth|month of birth|day of birth}}.

History

This section should answer the majority of the following questions/points:

What is the source material for this work (is it is a play)? What is notable about the older work or how has the play changed its focus/been reinterpreted?
How did this play come to be written and/or produced?
Whose idea was it to make this play?
Was this play started in any workshops or previews? What was unusual about them?
A full biographical detail of the person - previous productions, where they trained (if any).
When did the theatre venue/building open? Who designed it? Was it originally built as a theatre? What other uses has the structure had? List any major refurbishments.

Synopsis

Arguably the most important section of an article about a play, this section should be a description of the story-line of the production. Divided by acts, the synopsis should be long enough to accurately convey the story-line and the main characters but need not be overwhelmingly long or detailed. (The film project suggests a 900 word maximum, but a complex plot could require slightly more.) Discussions on Wikipedia in 2007 indicated that spoiler tags are not necessary, although some members of the Musical Theatre project have felt that they are useful for musicals still running in their original productions.

Productions

For a play, this section should list and link the original cast and crew and also give details of the production's first run. Notable revivals of the play may also be listed under this heading, again, where possible, with a fully linked cast and crew. See The Room for an example of this. Only professional productions should be included in this section, following the conditions set in WP:NOTABILITY. Amateur productions will be deleted without discussion.

If the article is about an actor, director or other theatre-related person, this section should be used to list past roles played or productions directed. Finally, if the article concerns a producing theatre then this section should be used to list notable productions produced at the theatre.

Dramatic analysis (optional)

This section should contain analysis of the acting style or conventions used in the play such as epic theatre. It may also be used to describe elements of the play which were groundbreaking in its day and how it was received. The political aims of a play may also be mentioned here too. Go into as much detail as possible but don't forget to remain impartial and cite sources!

Other elements as required (e.g., Book, Design etc)

This section should contain information about significant production-specific topics. (i.e. The puppets in His Dark Materials or War Horse)

Adaptations and/or versions (optional)

If a play was turned into a TV show or film, that should be noted here, with a link to any relevant Wikipedia articles.

If the show was presented in one form originally and then edited (cut, new numbers added, etc.) for another production, that could be discussed in a section on adaptations or versions.

Response

This section does not require all the following sub-headings. Not all articles have enough information in the sub-headings below to warrant the inclusion of all four. If, for example, only one sub-heading below applies to an article, do not use the "Response" heading, and instead use the appropriate sub-heading below as a second-level heading.

Awards (optional)

This section should contain a list of awards and what they were for.

Critical reception (optional)

In this section, a production, actor or theatre's critical response may be described. It should include references to reliable sources and/or quotes to theatre critics or theatre periodicals. This is not your opinion of how well the something went or how popular they are/it is. Rather, this is what the professionals felt, as evidenced by their actual published reviews or books. Any statement that is obviously WP:original research or a violation of WP:NPOV and is uncited will be considered original research and will be swiftly removed.

Box office and business (optional)

If the amount of money made by this production is notable or the producer(s) is (are) notable because of a certain production, that should be noted here.

Cultural impact (optional)

For plays that have had a profound impact outside of the theatre world, that can be described here. Please do not, however, allow this section to become a long list of trivia. See below.

~~Trivia~~

Lists of trivia should be avoided; the information contained in such a list should be integrated elsewhere in the article. Articles that contain such lists should be tagged {{Trivia}}, which would appear as follows:

Recordings

This should be a short list of recordings completely about this person/theatre/production/stagecraft.

References and external links

See also

A "See also" section should contain links to related articles within Wikipedia. To link to a related website, use an external links section as below:

References

References should be cited as described in Wikipedia:Citing sources. References should be from reliable sources. The References section should use the template {{Reflist}}.

External links

There may be links to any other helpful sites about this musical, as long as references are to non-commercial sites. See WP:EL.

Also should include Template:Ibdb title if applicable.

Use of these guidelines on new and existing articles

Retention of Information

In "changing over" any part of an article, it is important that no valuable information should be lost. See WP:GF. No information should be left out just because there is a new format. You may wish to place a message on the talk page saying "I could not find a place to incorporate the following information." If information seems unnecessary to you, please transfer it to the talk page to see if another editor can rescue it by rewriting/improving it and putting it where it belongs in the article. However, whenever information might be lost, please try to incorporate it back into the article if you can. This includes text, images, and information in infoboxes. Of course, if information is libellous or patently trivia, like information about amateur performances, lists of celebrities who came to see the show, etc., use your best judgement. You still should note on the talk page when you delete a significant amount of information so others can review your edit and make sure they agree.

Final note

This Article Structure is put in place to assist in the addition of information to Wikipedia. This system was not intended to justify the removal of information.