I used to work this way, but I didn't like that I was spending time while watching the play pre-writing in my head, which meant that I was also pre-judging the work.
Now, I do my best to take literal notes that record the major actions, beats, and story points. That way, when I read it back later, I can essentially run the play through my mind again. Unless I'm really frustrated (or delighted), I don't make notes about performance. And if I'm *really* into something, I forget to take notes entirely. Alas, that's rare.
I'm generally taking notes during readings or workshops, where the lights are up, but I also do take notes during performances. I mostly write blind (i.e. I don't look down, except to make sure that I'm on a clean line in my notebook), and there's usually enough lighting to see that much.
I'm a scout rather than a critic, so my place in the process is different, but it's a very similar role in terms of the mechanism of the work and the way that I write reports for my bosses. |
