Rhetorical Analysis: An Introduction to my Professional Writing Portfolio

My goal with this portfolio is to draw the reader to my background in theatre, along with my interest public relations writing and publication. As a theatre performance and English – professional writing dual major, I want to show the reader how I have acquired and combined the skills from both my theatre and professional writing backgrounds. While I am pursuing an acting career, I have gained skills from the professional writing major that I can use in pursuing the business and publication sides of theatre.

The documents I have included in my portfolio showcase the student learning outcomes expected from my English major. Every document, whether it be academic or public relations, has been edited and tailored for professional publication. I included two theatre research papers, a research paper that explores the origins of the English language, a brochure advertising my father’s law firm, and a playbill that I created for the college’s production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night or What You Will.

For the additional writing assignment requirement, I created a playbill that extensively shows my background and knowledge in theatre, as well as how I apply my skills in a professional writing document. This playbill is formatted similarly as to how the company, Playbill creates their programs; however, I have tailored mine to that of Elizabethtown College’s production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night or What You Will. Regarding the cast, I included their headshots and personal biographies. This playbill showcases my abilities in design principles, adaptability in using multiple writing technologies simultaneousy, individually completing an advanced assignment, presenting my original work in a professional manner tailored to a certain publication, and presenting my writing, editing and publication skills for specific events.

The first essay that I have included in my portfolio is on the history and usage of theatrical blood effects. This essay details how these effects have developed, from the first written requirement of staged blood to be used in Medieval Passion Plays, to how they are being used at Alice Cooper concerts. I want to guide the reader in analyzing this particular theatre technology niche and personal interest of mine. The tone and language I use is rather light and direct in this essay to appeal to a more general audience. The outcomes that I have demonstrated through this essay are using various strategies to interpret text, working independently in completing an advanced project and applying professional editing and proofreading skills.

I have included my essay on the history and significance of puppet theatre in the twentieth century. This not only shows my interest in puppet theatre, particularly with ventriloquism and Jim Henson's impact but this paper blends together my interests in both theatre performance and theatre technology. Through this essay, I display my ability to analyze various texts, explore viewpoints and ideas that differ from my own, applying and correctly citing primary and secondary source material.

The last essay that I am including in my portfolio is about the evolution of the English language, particularly the transition between Old English into Middle English. In this extensive essay, I express my love of studying the English language, while critiquing and analyzing it through various texts. analyze literature, and using and correctly citing primary and secondary source material to build and defend my work.

I have included a brochure for my father’s criminal defense law firm to display my work as a public relations writer. Because I have a design background from both my professional writing and theatre majors, I wanted to use the design skills I gained from that in my work as a public relations writer. My dad also gave me guidance on what he wanted on his brochure, so I edited the brochure to how we thought it would best appeal to his potential clientele.

For each document in this portfolio, I found a focus to present my creative input, and appropriately tailor and format them for professional publication.