First off, thank, Enci, for being the host and allowing me the opportunity to blog on this – what might be – a very interesting sight.
As an inaugural kickoff – I think it’s best to talk about the “quality of theatre”. The endless discussion: is there such a thing as “good” or “bad” art? I would say yes, especially when it comes to theatre. Which is what I’ll focus on. Or, rather, what WE should focus on.
What is quality theater? The best definition is: you know it when you see it. But I believe it’s possible to break it down into categories: acting, writing, directing, production design and finally purpose. I’m not going to go into too much of a scholarly diatribe, and would rather leave it to anyone reading this to add their two cents, but if you look at all of these categories closely you will see that there are aspects within each that can be broken down.
For acting, as an example: diction, presence, believability, emotional honesty, inventive characterization, creative choices, or for writing: believability, strong dialogue, plot, character arcs, dimensionality, proper tone, premise, conflict…and on and on. We don’t want to concentrate on these things when we’re sitting in the audience and enjoying a show, but when one of them fails, we feel it, we know it, and it begins to detract from the quality of a production.
Do most Los Angeles critics understand these things, or are they just failed writers and directors, sound-byte addicts, MTV generated two-dimensional neophytes who have a different agenda than furthering the quality theatre that DOES exist in our town?
Love to hear from you.
An addendum to my post: This should not be seen as an opportunity to degrade and insult the critic in Los Angeles, it should be an opportunity to challenge them, challenge them to raise their standards and include themselves in the creative process. Not as nannies or glee-club supporters or indifferent outsiders, but as a neccesary component to the creative process and the Los Angeles theatre community at large.
A quick note to say, “brilliant!” This concept is wonderful. Personally, I only read the good reviews but for those who have been bitten by the bitter bug of a critic this is a terrific outlet.
My critique is that we are all fabulous by the mere fact we are trying (line?:).
Act on!
xox
barbara