Monday, March 11, 2019

Critics vs. Artists

I'm a critic and an artist, so I know both sides. I have gotten to a point now where I can watch a play, have an opinion, and then know with 99% accuracy how NY critics are going to review the same work based upon popular trends. The trend doesn't invalidate the art. But often it can appear like something is 'bad' when it is not in fashion with what critics are looking for at the time. When I was at Northwestern I started off as a reporter. I took over the film review section for the Daily Northwestern, and expanded into theatre and art reviews. After my first year, professors (like Susan Booth) pegged me as an artist so I started writing plays and screenplays. In my last 3 yrs, I was writing reviews for movies/plays and writing scripts at the same time. Reviewers are, for the most part, wonderful and inquisitive minds. But some critics believe that something in fashion right now is how theatre or movies should always be seen. It would be like a fashion critic who only praises designers who use a lot of buttons b/c buttons were 'in' the season they started working.

I remember a few years ago I saw a wonderful play at 59E59. It was a family drama, all-white cast, set in Delaware. The play was, in fact, developed at a small theatre, had success, and they brought it to NYC. I sat there watching this completely engrossing, well-layered play and thought 'wow, I'm enjoying this...and it's going to get destroyed by NY critics.' Sure enough, the reviews came out and called the play simplistic and flat b/c it lacked theatrical fireworks. It wasn't bitter enough, it wasn't cynical enough for the season. It had a whiff of earnestness and kindness (God forbid).

Conversely, I saw a pretty terrible play last year but it had the 'fireworks' in it to disguise the lack of heart and thought. I sat there hating on this play AND I was completely aware that it was going to receive rave reviews. It was slick, it gave the appearance of wisdom, when I found the work to be just cruel. Critics loved it. It fit with the cynicism that is expected in 'emerging' writers.

(Also if you are a woman or an artist of color, you face the double whammy of not only being judged by mostly white critics, but being judged in how they think 'minority' art should be presented to white audiences. What's authentic about your experience to 'them' which is a total mind fuck added on top of the universal mind fuck of critic and artist, but that's another post.)

No matter the season or reason, artists still need to do there work. We still need to hold our heads up. Maybe some of the stuff we do will be 'in season' and some of it will be out. But we should keep an eye on the long-term goals and dreams that drive us, rather than the trends.

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