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Theater 32.1 (2002) 72



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Artistic Directors on Criticism


Theater invited artistic directors from across the country to examine the state of theater writing--not just reviewing, but criticism in the widest sense: journalism, scholarship, theory, and the many other cultural influences that shape the ways we think about theater. We wanted to know how the current critical atmosphere affects the work that inhabits American stages, if at all. How does criticism influence programming, audiences, new play development? What is a critical utopia? What function should criticism have in the contemporary theater scene?

The seven artistic directors who have contributed the following statements all express a disappointment in theater criticism. They identify some of the reasons for the predominance of those commercially oriented reviews that are more marketing fodder than analytical examination. In some cases, they even acknowledge the utility of such reviews. But on the whole they seem to expect more from writers; they're looking for the same depth of inquiry from critics that they demand from artists.

For both critics and audiences, it's all too easy to fall into a toggle-switch reaction to a performance: liked it, hated it. (The middle ground of indifference is almost never explored, though its shades of gray merit the most scrutiny.) Critics have a responsibility to position a production within a tradition of performance. Productions must be judged by more than the writer's temperament and individual taste. Then there is the slippery slope that is success. Who defines the terms of success--the writer, the artist, the box office?

Rather than revel in our dissatisfaction with the current critical vacuum, let's begin filling the void. Find ways to incite discussions of consequence after you see a new film, play, installation, or exhibition. Agitate against reviews as marketing by going to see that experimental play that was panned and judging for yourself.

 



--Wendy Weckwerth

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