Theater Hall of Fame induction Jan. 30

As previously announced, this year’s class (chosen by an electorate dominated by ATCA members) is Tyne Daly, Ben Vereen, Woodie King Jr., Elliot Martin, Ann Roth, Daniel Sullivan, Paul Sills (posthumous) and George White. Those presenting them will include Liza Minnelli, Brian Dennehy, Brian Murray, Jane Alexander and Phylicia Rashad (all Hall members). Who will present whom? — we’ll know Monday. (Fuller info here.)

Historian and critic Mary Henderson dies

Mary C. Henderson, a theater historian and long-time friend of ATCA, especially in its relation to the history of the New York stage, died Jan. 3, age 83. See Bruce Weber’s NY Times obituary and Neil Simon’s funny riposte to her 1987 Times article about the place of the dining table in American drama.

Denver critic John Moore takes buyout offer

John Moore, who was recently rated one of the 12 most influential theater critics in the country by American Theater magazine, is taking a buyout and leaving the Denver Post after 18 years. He has been the theater critic since 2001.

In his Running Lines column, with the headline “You are all cordially invited to my third act,” he writes that in considering the newspaper’s buyout offer, “I came up with 463 reasons to stay and 463 reasons to go.” He says it offers him the “gift of time.”

“This buyout affords me the opportunity to put the brakes on the runaway train of my life for a few months, and to indulge in the kind of writing that I have never allowed my full attention. Creating art, not interpreting and evaluating it.”

You can read his full column here.

Sondheim on critics and awards, waxing sensible and acerbic

The Guardian has done us the favor of quoting from Stephen Sondheim’s Look, I made a Hat. The master’s observations are sensible, largely familiar (to critics), predictably acerbic — and only part of the story, because in spite of what artists often think, reviews are not written for them, but for readers. (Otherwise, why do our publishers pay us the big bucks?) Artists may listen in, if they choose, but as Sondheim says, why? Here it is.

Dueling opinions from critics over when to say 'enough' - UPDATE

New York Times critic Charles Isherwood published a column on Oct. 7 saying, in effect that he didn’t want to be in a position to review anymore works by playwright Adam Rapp.

“Adam Rapp won’t have me to kick around anymore,” Isherwood began. “Oops. I think I got that backwards. I mean I won’t have Adam Rapp to kick around anymore.”

You can read his column here.

Michael Billington of The Guardian took note and offered his own opposing view.

“I think it’s a mistake for a critic ever to bring the shutters down,” he write. “In so doing, one denies oneself the possibility of a change of heart.”

You can read his full response here.

As president of the Dramatists Guild, composer Stephen Schwartz (“Godspell,” “Pippin,” “Wicked”) also had a response, supporting Isherwood’s suggstion, according to a report from Broadwayworld. 

Isherwood’s column has prompted a lot of response on various websites and a report from the Poynter Institute’s Jim Romanesko, which you can read here.

Until we can develop our comments section, if any of you write about the subject, we can add links and have a discussion in that way. Please send your links to criticjay@gmail.com

ATCA heads to Denver New Play Summit in February

The winter gathering of the American Theatre Critics Association will be held in conjunction with the New Play Summit held at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Feb. 10-12, 2012.

It’s a return visit to the summit, where a small group met in 2010.

Details are still in the works, but the summit will be held Feb. 10-12. Those intending to join us should plan to arrive in Denver in time to register by 12:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10 and to see the first reading at 1 p.m. Events will end in time for you to catch a 3 p.m. flight out of Denver on Sunday, Feb. 12.

We’ll have registration costs and hotel information coming in a few weeks, but the center is helping us to keep costs down and will assist in finding affordable lodging for the weekend.

The weekend includes five play readings over the three days, plus the world premiere of Lisa Loomer’s “Two Things You Don’t Talk About at Dinner” on Friday night and the world premiere of Samuel D. Hunter’s “The Whale” on Saturday night.

A panel also is a possibility, and there will be a Playwrights’ Slam after the Friday evening performance.

Registration also will include several meals.

We hope you will be able to make plans to join us. Details will be coming as soon as they are available. In the meantime, if you have questions, please contact Jay Handelman at criticjay@gmail.com or administrator Barry Gaines at bjgaines@aol.com for more information.

Theater Hall of Fame annouces eight new members for 2011

(Sept. 26, 2011) — The Theater Hall of Fame today announced that the eight inductees in its 2011 class are (alphabetically) Tyne Daly, Woodie King Jr., Elliot Martin, Ann Roth, Paul Sills, Daniel Sullivan, Ben Vereen and George White. The 41^st induction ceremonies will take place Jan. 30, 2012 at Broadway’s Gershwin Theatre, where the names of more than 400 previous Hall members adorn the walls in gold.

Founded in 1971, the Hall annually honors those who have made noteworthy lifetime contributions to the American theater. Eligibility requires a substantial body of outstanding work (five major credits minimum) over a career of at least 25 years. The electorate is the membership of the Hall and of ATCA. Using the usual theater categories, the 2011 class includes two actors, two producers, three directors and a designer, but several inductees really deny categorization.

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[expletive] Good Plays On Broadway and Off

NEW YORK (September 19, 2011) — Continuing a tradition that dates back to 1920, the Best Plays of 2010-2011 were announced today by editor Jeffrey Eric Jenkins. For its 92nd edition, the annual chronicle of United States theater honors 10 new works staged in New York City and three regional plays cited in the Harold and Mimi Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association new play awards competition, and it continues its comprehensive collection of facts and figures about the year in United States theater.

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Job opening at Cleveland Plain Dealer

The Plain Dealer in Cleveland is seeking to fill an opening for theater critic, the job most recently held by Tony Brown and before him Marianne Evett.

The newspaper recently received approval to hire a new critic, according to Debbie Van Tassel, the assistant managing editor for features. Here is the announcement of the position and information on how to apply.

Seeking a full-time theater critic for The Plain Dealer in Cleveland,
Ohio’s largest newspaper and a Top 20 metro daily. Northeast Ohio is
rich in theater offerings, from PlayhouseSquare in downtown Cleveland -
the second-largest performing-arts complex in the United States - to
cutting-edge professional companies and a robust community-theater
scene. The ideal candidate will have 8-10 years of daily newspaper
experience, including writing about theater, both as a critic and a
reporter. Hard-news background is a plus, as this beat generates a lot
of news, much as theater generates millions in economic activity for the
region. Enthusiasm for online journalism, from blogging to social media,
is essential. The Plain Dealer has a full staff of arts and
entertainment critics, and our features sections have won national
recognition. Please send resume and 5-10 clips showing your range to
Debbie Van Tassel, AME/Features, The Plain Dealer, 1801 Superior Ave.,
Cleveland, OH 44114; email dvantassel@plaind.com.

Some reviews and commentary on the Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Caesar (left) and her Brutus share a drinkSome ATCA members have sent links to what they’ve written about the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, based on the ATCA annual conference, July 6-10.

We’d like to see more links – send them here.

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Milwaukee to be add-on to 2012 Chicago conference

If you are taking in some Midwest sights before or after our 2012 Chicago national conference, June 13-17, how about attending a post-conference trip to Milwaukee, June 17-20? Details are only beginning to take shape, but the add-on promises to be worthwhile for those who have the time.

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ATCA elects new board; Handelman chosen as chair

Jay Handelman, longtime critic for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, was elected chair of the ATCA executive committee during the organization’s annual conference in Ashland, Oregon.Jay Handelman

Handelman served as chair from 1994 to 1996. He succeeds Pittsburgh Post-Gazette critic Chris Rawson, who served in the position for the last four years and came to the end of his second three-year term on the executive committee.

Chicago critic Jonathan Abarbanel was elected vice chair, while freelance critic Barbara Bannon of Salt Lake City was re-elected secretary and freelance critic Brad Hathaway, of the Washington, D.C. area, was re-elected treasurer.

The association members, who gathered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, re-elected Hathaway and New York critic Ed Rubin to the group’s governing board and elected freelance Philadelphia critic and blogger Wendy Rosenfield to her first three-year term. (Full executive committee list here.)