To critique or to comment – Larissa Brigatti
Theatre criticism expands across a big spectrum of genres, about which theatre critics write in an analytical and intellectual way, observing what is, sometimes, unnoticeable for the audience members during performances. Considering that there are several possible interpretations for any piece of theatre, one of the responsibilities of the theatre critic is to write the facts, and contextualize the attended performance. The critic needs to be aware of his/her audience when addressing the content and thoughts in the best possible way. In other words, knowing the readership is important because some sources are writing mainly for theatregoers or people in the arts, while some newspapers are more open to the mass audience. A deep conceptual critique with theatrical terms would be useless in the latter case Yet, theatre criticism is sometimes viewed as merely an assistant of marketing. It is plausible that a good or bad review by an acknowledged and respected theatre critic may impact ticket sales, but this is not the responsibility of theatre criticism.
In an ideal world, the critic would provide a well balanced commentary on the performance, show history, t contemporary relevance, maybe the dramaturgical or political context of the piece, as well as design and so on to provide information to the reader. This also and creates forms of documentation on the performance for future researches on the piece. However, some magazines or newspapers limit space for the writer. The word count is a cruel limitation sometimes and it forces the writer to be more selective. This might restrict the knowledge or information to a more superficial level. The main concerns of the theatre critic are to write about how they understand what the directors, designers, artistic directors, and producers were trying to achieve. They may discuss the effect of the performance in the contemporary zeitgeist or the relevancy of such performance. Ultimately, theatre critic should not write ‘I like’ or ‘I don’t like’ statements considering that taste is very personal, subjective, and clearly irrelevant as a documentation. As Bárbara Heliodora, theatre critic, writer and translator says, ‘How someone becomes a critic? In terms of theatre, since it’s my area, the fundamental is to like a lot of theatre, considering that in a year I see ninety to a hundred spectacles on average, and a huge percentage is of bad quality, and only relentless love for theatre keeps the critic considering theatre a form of art.’
Additionally, a theatre critic may not only be a critic but also a writer, performer, director,or theatre maker; thence, the word criticism is not to be taken in the semantic meaning of the word, but in the pragmatic, as the critic observes, explores and communicates the concepts of a performance; it is not supposed to be ‘high’ criticism. The word critic comes from the Greek which means crises of ideas; the critic should be decoding the different perspectives of a theatrical piece. To become a reliable critic one must be open to different visions, visions that sometimes may not be compatible to one’s personal liking; one should be willing to investigate concepts and performances, explore emotions, avoid dogmatism, and, be intrigued by elusiveness.
Taking the good with the bad- Simon Jewell
As a regular theatre goer, there is nothing worse than witnessing bad theatre. Locked in a darkened room, in humbled silence, the thought of getting up to leave mid-show only to be noticed by the actors always shames me into staying (at least until the interval!). Art is ultimately subjective. A painting can be repulsive, a film can be not your cup of tea – but when theatre is bad, it is almost impossible to endure.
That’s where the role of the theatre critic becomes a vital tool in determining whether or not a production will be positive or painful. We all are aware that a theatre review can both elevate and diminish a theatre production. A star rating out of five , a catchy pull quote of “must see!” or even positive word of mouth, becomes essential in determining if the general public will go to see this show. People will always go see art, good or bad; films can still break the box-office despite the negative reviews. A bad theatre review, however, can sink a production and the livelihood of the crew. That is why the critic’s voice becomes vital in succinctly conveying the overall message and retaining subjectivity towards a piece. As a critic, there is a need to identify the artist’s intentions, measure how they succeeded both artistically and physically, and place the work within a larger cultural context. One critic’s enthusiasm can lead to a huge increase in ticket sales, while an overly critical review can lead to a show being pulled, actors not being paid, and feelings ultimately being hurt.
Before enrolling as a mature student, I worked as a professional actor for many years and I know this feeling all too well. I remember the opening night of a production in 2008 at the Crypt Theatre in Dublin Castle. We had a reviewer in from The Irish Times, which was very exciting. We delivered our performances that night like our lives (and paying our rent) depended on it. . We were buzzing after the show, and the following night we all ran to the local shop to pick up the paper. As we leaned over each others shoulders, huddled around and full of nervous tension, we very quickly realised this was not going to be the positive review we had hoped for. It was heartbreaking. But not because the reviewer simply did not like the show; it was the manner in which he criticised it. He lamented the set, the interpretation, the direction. Fair enough! But he then proceeded to name each individual actor and criticise their performances. Our run only lasted a few weeks, but the bitter taste of this review stayed in my mind and the rest of the cast for months, even years after. Why was this reviewer so upset by a performance? Why did he decide to name each and every fault of the production, including the names of every actor? I can only guess the response to these questions. To me it felt like there was a lack of empathy in that review – perhaps knowing what it feels like to fail, to get up and dust yourself off and try again, is something that this particular reviewer never had to do. Theatre critics have to understand the risk and reward of creating art. Theatre is an exploration. Even when a production is just really really bad, I believe there is always a way to constructively say this, minimising the impact that the review has on the livelihoods of the crew.
Ultimately, there are two types of reviewers. Those who are critical and those who wish to grab attention. This reviewer did both, and in doing so, deemed this production unwatchable. Was it that bad? I’m sure you are wondering. Well, yes, it kind of was… However, we had gained a lot of positive comments from people, which circulated and brought others to see the show. Some really loved it, some really didn’t get it, but this reviewer made sure that only one interpretation was conveyed. We had put our heart and souls and many hours of rehearsals into this production. We had put our whole trust in the director’s vision. One bad review can kill a theatre production and ultimately our run was pulled short, leaving the cast and crew out of pocket and searching for our next job sooner than we had hoped.
In the theatre world, critics hold the power of words. Words become the quintessential truth. In this digital age, the theatre critic model has completely changed. A simple 280 character tweet can influence the minds of theatre goers. Bloggers and independent review websites have created many different platforms for reviewers voices to be heard. It may have never been as hard as it is now to be paid for theatre criticism, but equally it has never been as easy to be noticed, whilst building your own critical voice. The best advice I was given was to see as much theatre as possible, write about everything you see, and really reflect what you saw in a show. What is not your cup of tea, may be another’s, so choose your words carefully.
