Thursday, August 30, 2012
Short Shorts 45: Navel Gazing About Critics, More Twitter dangers, and supposed lack of West End leading men
The Stage / Shenton's View: The public editor of the New York Times Arthur S Brisbane, who deals with public complaints to the paper, recently wrote about the responses he’s had to deal with to the paper’s many critics, and referred to the steady flow of correspondence he receives: “never in a crescendo, always diffused across various themes, this muted chorus of discomfort swells when opinion cuts too deep.”
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2 comments:
I'm a bit torn about what this article is saying... People get criticized if they post an opinion that is unfavorable about a work, but isn't the point of these social media sites to be able to express yourself and your opinions and reach other people? If you get annoyed with what someone posts or don't agree with them, then don't follow them.
In the case of Morgan James and her post regarding the Into the Woods performance, while it may not have been the smartest decision to publicly criticize people she may have to work with in the future, what makes her any less qualified to review a work than those getting paid to do so? She is someone who is currently working in the industry, and undoubtedly has some knowledge and talent, so why are her opinions worth dismissing? You may not agree with them, but you also may not agree with the critics in the papers, so what is the difference? Why is it so awful for her to express that opinion?
I guess there is something to be said to not being a dumb ass in a public forum that I can get behind. But I do think honest criticism from your peers is valuable and will push our industry forward. If you didn't like something and you have some knowledge and grounds to know something about it you should be allowed to let people know. Should you be able to do this publicly? Well if it is in an eloquent and not angry way then I think yes it should be a valid form of criticism for art. I think critics have their place too but sometimes it is interesting to hear from people whose job isn't critiquing.
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