Can a Playwright Be a Critic? Eliza Bent Says Yes
[article as originally published in The Clyde Fitch Report, January 13, 2017.] It is fashionable to debate the importance of cultural criticism. The debate questions what criticism is, who is […]
2016: excavation review themes
After six annual marathons captured in “what Martha has seen” lists of theater and film adventuring (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016), I’ve learned a few things. I’ve learned that […]
“Pop!”-Up Theater Extends Venues and Audience Experiences
[Original published in The Clyde Fitch Report, November 15, 2016.] [featured image caption: A Scandal at the Table, September 24, 2016 at Hell Phone. Photo: Edward Morris.] “I wanted people to […]
Theater Critic Frank Rizzo Balances Head and Heart
[article as originally published in The Clyde Fitch Report, October 20, 2016.] It is fashionable to debate the importance of cultural criticism. This debate questions what criticism is, further questions […]
Semicolon Theatre Offers Young Artists a Stage
[article as originally published in The Clyde Fitch Report, October 11, 2016.] It’s a great privilege to be present at the beginning of a long term personal and professional relationship. […]
Feminist Theater Critic Jill Dolan Faces the World
[Original published in The Clyde Fitch Report, September 16, 2016.] It is fashionable to debate the importance of cultural criticism. For better or for worse, this debate questions what criticism […]
In Chicago, Refining the Cultural and Critical Lens
[article originally published in The Clyde Fitch Report, August 31, 2016.] Willa Taylor reflected on her philosophy of building education programs for young people in theater: I wasn’t really interested […]
WP Lab, Pipeline Festival, and Honing the Questions
[article originally published with a slightly different title in The Clyde Fitch Report, July 19, 2016.] The Women’s Project (WP) Theater has produced plays by women for almost 30 […]
“Ugly Little Sister” From Page to Stage
[article originally published in The Clyde Fitch Report, May 24, 2016.] I started my recent phone conversation with Charlotte Miller parsing her Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (LSTFI) commission project Ugly […]
Prizes and Reports Both Address Parity
[article originally published in The Clyde Fitch Report, April 13, 2016.] Data collection and advocacy efforts to count, sort and assess parity in theater production continue apace. But counting is only […]
Big Ten Theater Improves Percentages for Women
[article originally published at The Clyde Fitch Report, March 16, 2016.] A two-year-old project designed to create more roles for women student actors in plays by women playwrights takes a pragmatic […]
In “Women Without Men,” Women Count
[article originally published at The Clyde Fitch Report, February 18, 2016.] Feature Image: Women Without Men By Hazel Ellis, directed by Jenn Thompson, presented by The Mint Theater Company at New […]
theatrical research: counting women and baselines for advocacy
Coverage of efforts to track the status of and advocate for the parity for women in theater, film and television continues unabated this fall. I summarized a few efforts and […]
urban excavations 