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Criticism

Here, you’ll find content about the art and practice of theatre criticism. Many pieces grapple with questions of how to diversify the field, making it more accessible for young people, queer folx, and critics of color. This section also contains all the pieces of criticism in the Journal, which we call “NewCrits.” NewCrits analyze productions and go beyond “thumbs up, thumbs down” reviews, placing the work(s) in question in a larger, broader context—whether that’s the context of the time or place it’s done in, the artists’ body of work, or its genre. Are you interested in writing a NewCrit? Check out our guidelines and best practices!

The Latest

On Between Two Knees, or About Other Futures
Essay
On Between Two Knees, or About Other Futures
by Sebastián Eddowes-Vargas
17 April 2024
Viewpoints for Achieving Authentic Representation of Roma Communities on Stage
Essay
Viewpoints for Achieving Authentic Representation of Roma Communities on Stage
by Tímea Éva Bogya, Márton Illés
27 March 2024
Should We Write Differently About Roma Theatre?
Essay
Should We Write Differently About Roma Theatre?
by Noémi Herczog, Éva Moharos
25 March 2024
Logo for the Torch Theatre Book Club.
"Improvised Book Club" & Asking Your Audience to Do Homework
Essay

"Improvised Book Club" & Asking Your Audience to Do Homework

25 July 2013

Alice Stanley Jr. describes her experince at The Toch Theatre's "Improvised Book Club" and writes about how an audiences' preparation affects their involvement.

Photo from The Hampton Years.
Theater J’s Hampton Years
Essay

Theater J’s Hampton Years

Vision and Courage in the World War II South

23 July 2013

Patricia Davis reviews The Hampton Years at Theater J, and how the production's content is just as subversive as the context in which the play is being produced.

Howlround logo.
An Apology
Essay

An Apology

19 July 2013

P. Carl issues an apology on behalf of HowlRound and Lily Janiak in regards to a NewCrit piece.

A photo from The Daisy Theatre.
A Stunning Bouquet
Essay

A Stunning Bouquet

Ronnie Burkett's The Daisy Theatre

18 July 2013

Matt McGreachy writes about Ronnie Burkett Theatre of Marionettes’s production of The Daisy Theatre at the Luminato Festival in Toronto.

Photo from American Night.
Cal Shakes' American Night asks, "Whose America?" and also, "Whose theater?"
Essay

Cal Shakes' American Night asks, "Whose America?" and also, "Whose theater?"

16 July 2013

California Shakespeare Theater, under the direction of Jonathan Moscone, has changed route from classic work to new work that explores the diverse culture and artistry of the Golden State.

Portrait of Daniel Jones.
Blistered and Burned
Essay

Blistered and Burned

The Absence of Female Critics

13 July 2013

Daniel Jones examines the critical reception of Rapture, Blister, Burn, and invites us to look more closely about how the gender of the critic effects the fate of the new play.

Photo from a production of Passion Play.
Encounters with Grace
Essay

Encounters with Grace

Sarah Ruhl's Passion Play in Toronto's East End

11 July 2013

The Canadian premiere of Sarah Ruhl’s Passion Play, which probes faith, brought together a group of strangers for an immersive four hour play resulting in the possible confirmation of faith in community.

Photo from The Nina Variations.
Elegant Variation
Essay

Elegant Variation

4 July 2013

Brown Box Theatre Project’s production of The Nina Variations cast three actresses as Nina. Allison Vanouse constrasts Steven Dietz's play with other works that explore repetition and deconstruct classic plays.

Photo from Time Sensitive.
Time Sensitive
Essay

Time Sensitive

3 July 2013

Ragged Wing Ensemble explores the concept of time with the centerpiece of an ice sculpture in Time Sensitive.

Photo from a production of Gross Indecency.
Oscar Wilde on Marriage Equality
Essay

Oscar Wilde on Marriage Equality

2 July 2013

Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde is an old story of Wilde’s relations with the Queen’s son yet, with the current politics, still holds discussion today of the morality of law.

Photo from Eternal Thou.
Dispatches from LALA Land
Essay

Dispatches from LALA Land

Adventures in the OC

2 July 2013

In the land of film and technology, LA pushes theatre to innovate the theatrical definition of reality.

Photo from The Miss Neo Pageant.
The Neo-Futurists' The Miss Neo Pageant
Essay

The Neo-Futurists' The Miss Neo Pageant

27 June 2013

Dani Snyder-Young writes about The Miss Neo Pageant, and how - even though the ideas presented permeate much of the media about women - we still struggle with the ideas of female competition, jealousy, and distrust.

A hallway in the MFA.
Notes on Odd Spaces
Essay

Notes on Odd Spaces

25 June 2013

Allison Vanouse reviews "Odd Spaces" at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. What is to be gained, she asks, in finding new ways to perform in odd spaces?

A ballet dancer executes a difficult leap.
Ballet and Time
Essay

Ballet and Time

20 June 2013

Allison Vanouse writes about Boston Ballet's 2013 triple-bill of George Balanchine’s Serenade and Symphony in C, and Wayne McGregor’s Chroma

Poster for The Encyclopedia Show Arizona.
The Encyclopedia Show Arizona
Essay

The Encyclopedia Show Arizona

A Successful Community Theater Model

18 June 2013

The Encyclopedia Show Arizona, an offshoot of a national project started in Chicago, brings professionals and amateurs together with an audience under one topic to educate, laugh, and share.

Photo from a production of Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh and Guantanamo
Essay

Gilgamesh and Guantanamo

D.C. Theater Explores the Spoils of War

13 June 2013

An apt topic of the DC Stage, Jesus at Guantanamo and Gilgamesh explore power and abuse through the failings of heroes

Photo from the play The Arsonists.
The Slow, Cold Burn of the Aurora Theatre’s The Arsonists
Essay

The Slow, Cold Burn of the Aurora Theatre’s The Arsonists

11 June 2013

The Arsonists acts as a chilling critique of blinding following norms and devotions while simultaneously being a rally cry to trust gut intuition.

A man participating in Hidden Stories.
Blurring the Lines
Essay

Blurring the Lines

Ant Hampton/Tim Etchells’ The Quiet Volume and Begat Theater’s Hidden Stories

8 June 2013

Bertie Ferdman talks about The Quiet Volume and Hidden Stories, two interdisciplinary works that challenge audiences perceptions of time and space.

A still from A Public Reading Of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney.
A Public Reading Of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney
Essay

A Public Reading Of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney

6 June 2013

W.M. Akers examines immortality in Lucas Hnath's A Public Reading Of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney, questioning can our creations keep us here after we have past?

A performer in overalls holds a small bird.
The Affects of Disability Portrayal and Inclusion in soot and spit
Essay

The Affects of Disability Portrayal and Inclusion in soot and spit

31 May 2013

Alice Stanley writes about experiencing Chuck Mee's soot and spit, an experimental play about the artist James Castle featuring deaf and cognitively challenged actors.

Atlanta's Saiah seeks to transform the Great American Novel into the Great American Play
Essay

Atlanta's Saiah seeks to transform the Great American Novel into the Great American Play

30 May 2013

Andrew Alexander looks at Atlanta-based theatre company Saiah, which took on the challenge of making a sea and whale come alive for audiences in their adaptation of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick.

Still from VideoCabaret's War of 1812.
The Quotidian as Epic
Essay

The Quotidian as Epic

VideoCabaret’s War of 1812

28 May 2013

Matt McGeachy tallks about VideoCabaret’s The War of 1812, which attempts to understand the war and its consequences through comedy, tragedy, and Canadian history.

Still from The Happiest Song Plays Last.
The Happiest Song Plays Last at The Goodman Theatre, Chicago
Essay

The Happiest Song Plays Last at The Goodman Theatre, Chicago

21 May 2013

Dani Snyder-Young discusses The Happiest Song Plays Last by Quiara Alegría Hudes, and asks: how do we invite diverse audiences into this exploration?

Still from Here Lies Love.
Here Lies Love
Essay

Here Lies Love

16 May 2013

W.M. Akers looks at how this immersive musical from Alex Timbers, David Byrne, Annie-B Parson and Fatboy Slim tells Imelda Marcos' story through disco, audience involvement, and theatrical hypnotism.

Photo from the play Edge.
Exist Stronger
Essay

Exist Stronger

14 May 2013

Allison Vanouse profiles Near Death, a performance art presentation at Boston's Cyclorama.