Criticism So White? Here’s How to Change That
How theatre critics can use their words, and their status, to be more inclusive of both theatre artists and a diverse new generation of journalists.
View ArticleLily Janiak Succeeds Robert Hurwitt as SF Chronicle Theatre Critic
After a national search, the Bay Area daily hires a young local writer who's shown herself to be both enthusiast and gadfly.
View ArticleHonesty Vs. Community in Harbor Stage’s ‘The Kritik’
Brenda Withers's new play, set in 19th-century Russia, is inspired by her theatre's experiences with feedback on Cape Cod.
View ArticleNew York Times Discontinues Tri-State Theatre Coverage
Theatres in New Jersey, Connecticut, and various New York counties will no longer be regularly reviewed in the paper of record. What now?
View ArticleCritic Charles Isherwood Leaves NY Times
Originally hired in 2004, Isherwood had outsized influence and aroused passionate feelings, occasionally his own.
View ArticleDoes Race Have a Place in Theatre Criticism?
What the blow-up over a Times review of 'Big River' says about this cultural moment---and what it may bode for the direction of criticism.
View ArticleJesse Green Is Looking for a Good Argument
Why did The New York Times hire another white guy to be their new co-chief theatre critic? He plans to work hard to show us why.
View ArticleCriticism Needs Support (and a Diversity Upgrade)
Arts journalism is fighting for its life, but it's well past time to invite new voices to join the fray.
View ArticleLinda Winer: I’m a Critic, Not a Click-Chaser
The longtime Newsday fixture---for decades New York's only female first-string theatre critic---says she's resigning, not retiring.
View ArticleDavid Cote Takes a Time Out After an ‘Amazing Run’
Time Out New York's longtime theatre editor leaves a legacy of incision and advocacy, and has no plans to go silent.
View ArticleMeet Sara Holdren, Theatre Critic and Theatremaker
New York magazine's new critic is also New York's newest critic, and she says she's as ready to listen as to talk.
View ArticleLetters for July/August 2017
Playwriting as a lifeline in prison, changes in Chinese theatre, and the crisis of criticism.
View ArticleA Critical Lion in Winter: Robert Brustein Looks Back
The legendary critic and impresario is still writing every day, though he's largely left the battlefield to other warriors.
View ArticleTastemaking in a Post-Newspaper World
Sure, theatres can find ways to spread the word without critics, but patrons still want---and deserve---disinterested reviews.
View ArticleA Critics Bestiary
There may be as many kinds of writers about theatre as there are kinds of theatre. Here’s a handy guide.
View ArticleThe Critical Palette
Three theatre critics of color who are used to being the only one who looks like them on the aisle seat.
View ArticleWhat’s the Buzz?
We know too well the laments about shrinking critical jobs and authority. But are we looking for the future in all the wrong places?
View ArticleSpeaking Truth to Ourselves
We have so many theatre riches before us. If we don't engage with them fully and forthrightly, we're effectively taking them for granted.
View ArticleLetters for January 2018: Politics and Criticism
Why one reader prefers Philly's 1812 Productions to 'SNL,' and others fear for the future of criticism.
View ArticleAt New York Stage Review, Critics Are Doing It for Themselves
Five credentialed writers have bucked the trend of arts journalism cutbacks to create a new review website.
View ArticleKris Vire’s Newest Review: Of His 13 Years as a Chicago Theatre Critic
The recently laid off editor of Time Out Chicago reflects on the scene he's covered and the state of arts journalism.
View ArticleWho Will Critique the Critics?
The New York Times' new 25-best-plays list shows there are plenty of great plays to argue about. Where are the arguers?
View ArticleQueer Eye for Theatre Critics: 4 Writing Tips
Some writers have been stumbling in addressing work about and by LGBTQ artists. Here’s a guide to help them do better.
View ArticleAll ‘The Season’ in a Day: Reading Goldman to Say Goodbye
You can't just dip into the best, most compulsively readable book ever written about the art and sweat of making theatre (though you may skip a few parts).
View ArticleNY Times Critic-at-Large Wesley Morris to Speak at TCG Conference
He'll join an artist in conversation about the state of cultural criticism at the June gathering.
View ArticleCan 3Views Change Theatre Criticism?
Coming this fall: a new artist-driven online journal from the Lillys that aims to widen and diversify the discourse.
View ArticleBig Little Audiences
In the face of attendance unpredictability, let's work together to ensure the vitality and impact of theatre for years to come.
View ArticleHelen Shaw Wants To Be the Anthony Bourdain of Theatre
Succeeding Sara Holdren at New York magazine, Shaw will shine her unblinking critical light on works big and small.
View ArticleRegina Victor: Critiquing With Love
Armed with the idea that truth-telling and empathy don't have to be mutually exclusive, they founded Rescripted, an independent Chicago theatre publication.
View ArticleThe Tragedy of John Simon
He made his name with vitriol, but ultimately the role of critical scourge began to play him.
View ArticleHow Could I Be Friends With John Simon?
I was spared his famous fury, thankfully, but once I met him, we spoke---and argued---often about the theatre we both loved.
View ArticleAfter 78 Years, Is It Time for the Chronicle’s Little Man to Retire?
The San Francisco paper's influential personified ratings icon, beloved by many readers, is facing fresh pushback from local theatre artists.
View ArticleMy Conversations With Eric Bentley
My relationship with the great theatre critic began with a wary interview but soon gave way to a lifetime of anecdotes, confidences, and laughter.
View ArticleBen Brantley: A Critic Is a Mirror, Not a Shaper
The Times' lead critic looks back on a fertile period in the field and reflects on the role he played in it.
View ArticleMaya Phillips: ‘I Absolutely Believe in Criticism’
The New York Times' newest critic at large thinks about culture both broadly and personally, and strives to deliver dialogue, not a verdict.
View ArticleThe Sardonic, Curious, Unyielding John Heilpern
The NY Observer's drama critic, a Brit, brought an outsider's inquisitiveness to the American theatre, as well as principled grouchiness.
View Article3Views Reboots Its Critical Mission With 3 New Editors
Brittani Samuel, Jose Solís, and Sarah Rose Leonard will lead the site, originally founded by Sarah Ruhl and Julia Jordan, aimed at diversifying the critical discourse.
View ArticleThe Critical Revolution Will Be Tweeted
The pandemic led to innovative, alternative forms of theatre. Can theatre criticism keep up?
View ArticleOffscript: Previewing the Season With Maya Phillips & David John Chavez
In this episode we talk to critics on both coasts (with JR holding down the Midwest) about criticism, in-person theatre, and Twitter vs. TikTok.
View ArticleNY Theatre Review Site DidTheyLikeIt.Com Unveils Roster of 5 Critics
The review aggregation site will publish original criticism alongside its thumbs-up-or-down parsings of NYC theatre reviews.
View ArticleOffscript: Ringing Out 2021 With Lily Janiak and Jesse Green
For the final podcast of the year, the editors plumb the year-end thoughts and feelings of critics from the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.
View ArticleThe Grace, Grief, and Joy of Terry Teachout
He was a writer with rigor and taste, but as anyone who knew him (or sat near him) could tell you, he was as demonstrative and passionate an advocate as the theatre has ever had.
View ArticleThree on the Aisle: One More for Terry
Peter Marks and Elisabeth Vincentelli gather one more time to remember their recently departed co-host, Terry Teachout.
View ArticleRichard Christiansen: A Critic Who Made a Difference
As the Chicago Tribune's lead theatre critic from 1978 to 2002, he helped build the city's unique theatre scene, both by covering it and by getting to know its major players.
View ArticleMaya Phillips Wins Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism
The New York Times critic at large was cited for chronicling a tumultuous year in live art.
View ArticleIn Louisville There Once Was a Festival
Every April for decades, producers, theatre mavens, and critics would gather to binge new plays at the Festival of New American Plays. But not this April.
View ArticleReviewing the Situation With Sara Holdren and Jackson McHenry
Co-lead theatre critics at New York magazine/Vulture, they make the case that 2 heads are better than 1, especially covering a field in flux.
View ArticleProf. Dr. Erika Fischer-Lichte to Receive 2024 Thalia Prize
Her specialties have been performance theory, European theatre and cultural history, transformative aesthetics, and performances of Greek tragedies since 1800.
View ArticleOne Reason Theatre Is in Crisis: The Slow Death of Criticism
Peter Marks's departure from the Washington Post is only the latest sign that too many of us have taken the importance of reviews for granted for too long.
View ArticlePeter Marks, Signing Off From His Post
Looking back on his 21 years as the lead theatre critic in the nation's capital, he says he most cherishes the light he was able to shine on shows, artists, and companies.
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