Not a stupid question at all. Like many of those below, I've developed the skill of writing in a notebook without looking down, so I don't have to look away from the stage. When I look at my writing later, I see that it floats up and down the page, away from the lines on the paper, but I can still make it out well enough to remember what I meant.
Somehow, I never really need to take copious notes. I may write very superficial reviews, but two pages worth of notes, at the most, seems to be enough to bring it all back to me. So if I start on a left-hand page in the notebook and move over to the right as necessary, I can usually get all my notes down without having to turn a page. (I don't use a really tiny notebook either, but one of those medium-sized ones that's about six or seven inches by nine inches.)
Unlike many of those below, I almost never find it necessary to quote dialogue, and therefore I don't need to consult a script either. Generally speaking, the only time I'm even tempted to quote dialogue is if there's some verbal leitmotif that runs throughout the play, and these are generally short enough, and spoken often enough, that I'll remember them well enough.
And I never use any live theatrical occasion as an excuse to indulge myself in vitriolic Addison-de-Witticisms, especially not at the cast's expense. I understand that whatever may be wrong with a show, it's virtually never the fault of anybody in the cast. I try to save my Pauline Kael-ish zingers for the bloated-budget Hollywood duds that deserve them. |
