Theatre Criticism Now: What’s the
Point?
This was a panel set-up, made up of Kate Bassett (formally from The
Independent on Sunday), Dominic Cavendish (Daily Telegraph), Mark Fisher
(freelance), and Fiona Mountford (Evening Standard). It was a lively panel, and
for the most part, it included a very lively discussion, not just about the
role of critics but also their value and treatment by those who pay for their
services.
One
of the big questions that came up and was discussed was the ‘why do we review
theatre?’ It was met with some of the simple answers like ‘for posterity,’
which, as someone pursuing a Masters in Theatre Studies, I certainly
appreciate. There is definite merit in transcribing the theatrical experience,
what it was like to be there, how the audience is feeling through the ups and
downs of the production, and to record this so that future generations can gain
insight to our theatrical culture through these writings. I believe Kenneth
Tynan and Michael Billington both did this very well. When I read the two books
that compile their reviews, Tynan on
Theatre and Michael Billington’s One
Night Stands, I really do feel like I am learning what the theatre on that
night was legitimately like.
Another
answer to that question of ‘why we review’ was, basically, for the general good
of the public. I believe it was Kate Bassett who made the remark that today
people are extremely careful on how they spend both their time and money. Both
are extremely valuable in today’s society, and if a reviewer can better steer
you to a night you will thoroughly enjoy, then they really are providing a
service. I like this idea, I think it holds a great deal of merit, especially
for the average London theatre-goer. For myself, personally, as a student I
tell myself that everything deserves to be seen and considered, even if I find
I do not like it. But this is not the case for most people, I am an oddity, a
very small minority. For those are looking for a good night, perhaps
intelligent, or perhaps just entertaining, a critic one trusts can be a very
valuable resource.
The
critic is also important as a bridge between the audience and the production. A
critic very often has a more informed view of the production, and can convey
the ideas and concepts that appear in the play that we average viewers might
miss at first. This also brought up later on the question of ‘the embedded
critic,’ and here, I find myself agreeing with Michael Billington. In his book,
One Night Stands, at one point he
wrote about his experience of sitting in during a rehearsal. He didn’t seem to
enjoy it, and I feel like it gives the reviewer a tainted instead of objective
view of the play.
There
were many other points covered, and many other really great comments on the importance
of the critic, the role of a critic and the further role that that criticism
can have. But the one thing mentioned time and time again in almost every
different facet of critiquing mentioned, was honesty. An honest review is the
most important review you can write. It’s more important than a smooth or nice
review. How you truly felt sitting in that theatre, what you saw and heard.
Give that back to your readers, put it on paper (or blog) and give people your
true thoughts so that they can use that and make their decisions accordingly.
Personally,
I gained a lot from this panel discussion, I also learned about how a lot of
magazines and papers have cut their arts staff. One woman who was speaking, had
just been let go as The Independent on Sunday apparently cut their entire arts
staff. The first thing I go to in a newspaper is the arts section, I look for
the reviews and the features on theatre – if The Washington Post or The
Guardian ever cut their Arts sections, I think I might find myself canceling my
subscriptions. It was scary to hear, though, I love reviewing, and was thinking
of it as a possible career path. I don’t think I will discredit the profession
as a pathway for myself entirely, I’ll still be reviewing on here for a long
time to come, but hearing about the lack of openings and lack of opportunities
as a theatre critic does give me some realistic perspective. This was actually
touched on in the following panel – and I will speak about that as well in a
post possibly later tonight or tomorrow.
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