Riedel: Drama Critics Dying Out

I hope I'm not opening a can of worms here, but I like to think that the "official" critics are individuals of certain background, experience and discernment that place them in a higher echelon than your everyday theatregoer. Don't get me wrong -- I love this board and having the opportunity to voice my opinions and listen to those of other posters. But I would NEVER delude myself into thinking that I had the credentials to be a professional critic. I make a point of seeing shows during the late preview period to ensure that I'm not unduly swayed by preconceived notions. It's gratifying when the critics have the same opinion as mine and annoying when they don't. Just my thought.

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Heh - as it happens, I actually HAVE the credentials to be a theater critic. I was a theater/journalism major in college with a focus on theater history, dramaturgy, and criticism. I spent four years on my school paper reviewing EVERYTHING that came through my school (a good two, three, or sometimes even four productions a week). I came out of school with honors, and strong recommendations from professors, only to find that becoming a theater critic for most papers is nearly impossible: it's considered a cushy job and given to people who put in ten or fifteen years of grunt work, and often to people with no vested interest in theater. Once I learned that first hand, my respect for the job diminished tremendously. I do want to note though that I have spent several years corresponding with Peter Filichia and reading his thrice weekly column on theatermania.com. He is a true theater lover - one of a dying breed of critics who actually LOVES the art form for what it is - not trashing something because it's fluff or praising something because it's pretentious as some critics do.

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The newspapers are indeed dying out themselves, and it's sad to read that The Star Ledger, my favorite newspaper, is in such a state.
Peter Filichia's reviews will be especially missed. They often gave a big boost to many local productions.
The point is on the money, however, there so many blogers here and elsewhere willing to do it for nothing.

I think unfortunately the Internet, where a lot of young writers test the waters and get their starts, is going to contribute to the fall of the necessity of the critic. And I'm not even just talking about the blogosphere and message boards -- look at Word of Mouth. A featured enabled by the internet took the place of a legitimate in-print critic.

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Updated On: 10/31/08 at 04:29 PM