"Doesn't the review bother you?" I was asked following a rather harsh criticism of a musical play that premiered this summer (2014). "It didn't even explain what the critic disliked very well."
Yes, the review bothered me, and I certainly agreed with my theater colleague that the review could have been more helpful, but every review is helpful to some extent. Some are simply more helpful than others.
A negative review tell you that something might be wrong with a work. It might not be, but critics at regional and national publications tend to know something about their specialties. In this instance, the reviewer is a playwright, so ignoring his views would be shortsighted. However, critics also have biases, and this critic hasn't demonstrated the greatest understanding of new work development in our small city. Shoestring theater seldom enables perfection, and even less often provides active development processes.
When you read a review, skip the snark. Reviewers seem to love demonstrating how smart they are, and how cynical they've become. Ignore the ego behind the review and focus on a list of concrete positives and negatives. Don't get lost in the flourishes of someone trying to impress his or her readers.
In this instance, the concrete claims appear to be:
1. Some of the musical numbers (tune and lyrics) were good.
2. The play was too long.
3. The three-act structure was problematic.
4. Direction lacked energy.
5. The play had little new to say.
As a playwright, I can't do much about any acting or directing issues, even with a new work. Things simply happen. Therefore, item four is beyond my control. Direction can also affect item five because a slow play without energy has no message, no passion. That means item five is likely a mix of problems with the script and the direction.
The length of the work and the structure are a problem. Reducing the snark to the core claim, that the play was long and oddly structured, I would agree that a new work usually needs more editing. As a writer, I tend to overwrite first drafts. Therefore, I can set aside the snark and admit the play needs another revision pass (or more).
I'm not sure I agree that the three-act structure is a problem, but it is if there are two intermissions in a modern play. Audiences want one intermission and quick scene pacing. The structure I wrote was applied literally by the director. I need to change the script — that's definitely my fault as a writer.
Learning to list the concrete claims made by reviewers is a skill writers and artists need. My final works are better because of this approach to "listening" to the critics.
Showing posts with label play. Show all posts
Showing posts with label play. Show all posts
Monday, September 8, 2014
Sunday, July 13, 2014
A Musical Play Needs Your Support
The LAB Project, a new Pittsburgh, PA, theatrical company, is producing my musical play The Gospel Singer this August. The producer hopes to raise an additional $4000 for community outreach and education efforts. The play is about a gay gospel singer and his partner, during the 1980s. It's based loosely on real people. The play was awarded a development slot by Bricolage Production Company last year, as part their annual "In The Raw" festival.
Some people ask if a play about a gay couple arguing about faith and community is still relevant in 2014. Yes, it is. Laws are changing, and society is changing, but understanding the struggles are incomplete — especially within religious communities — is a valuable lesson.
Please consider supporting The LAB Project.
Some people ask if a play about a gay couple arguing about faith and community is still relevant in 2014. Yes, it is. Laws are changing, and society is changing, but understanding the struggles are incomplete — especially within religious communities — is a valuable lesson.
Please consider supporting The LAB Project.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Women Say F*ck, Too!
This is what I've been up to…
Women Say F*ck, Too! introduces Dani, Kitty, and Stephanie, young women from Western PA trying to escape a struggling Beaver County township in the early 1990s. The first play in a quartet, Women Say… addresses poverty, gender and more. The series follows these women from graduation to motherhood.
Women Say F*ck, Too!
by C. S. Wyatt
Directed by M. Reagle
Steel City Improv
5950 Ellsworth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
Friday, May 9, 6:40pm-8pm
Saturday, May 10, 7pm-8:20pm
Sunday, May 11, 2pm-3:20pm
Buy tickets!
http://pghfringe.ticketleap.com/women-say-fck-too/
Produced by The LAB Project
Monteze Freeland, Artistic Director / Founder
Cast:
Cassidy Adkins as Kitty
Jackie Baker as Stephanie
Linda Kanyarusoke as Dani
Developed with Cindy "C.J." Jackson, Hazel Leroy, and Mysti Wyatt
Set Design and Concepts by P. Milo
Women Say F*ck, Too! introduces Dani, Kitty, and Stephanie, young women from Western PA trying to escape a struggling Beaver County township in the early 1990s. The first play in a quartet, Women Say… addresses poverty, gender and more. The series follows these women from graduation to motherhood.
Women Say F*ck, Too!
by C. S. Wyatt
Directed by M. Reagle
Steel City Improv
5950 Ellsworth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
Friday, May 9, 6:40pm-8pm
Saturday, May 10, 7pm-8:20pm
Sunday, May 11, 2pm-3:20pm
Buy tickets!
http://pghfringe.ticketleap.com/women-say-fck-too/
Produced by The LAB Project
Monteze Freeland, Artistic Director / Founder
Cast:
Cassidy Adkins as Kitty
Jackie Baker as Stephanie
Linda Kanyarusoke as Dani
Developed with Cindy "C.J." Jackson, Hazel Leroy, and Mysti Wyatt
Set Design and Concepts by P. Milo
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Mnemonic was 'Too Good' for Me…
Sunday, I went to see Quantum Theatre's production of "Mnemonic." I give a lot of credit to Quantum Theatre for taking a chance. Performing another company's work was risky, and it didn't quite work for me. This was a play devised by an entire production company, written by the actors and representing that original production company.
As a writer and audience member, my wife can attest that I like some "odd" things. I respect adventurous writing and innovative staging. I've seen plays in which the actors never take the stage, and some that were immersive media experiences. I've enjoyed plays that are in multiple languages, reminding me that good actors and staging transcend language barriers (but I still tried to translate what I could). I've written plays in which mime was essential, and some that are surely abstract.
But you must never forget that people need to feel engaged by a play. Writing shouldn't push the audience or readers away. I don't fall into the camp that "art must offend" nor do I believe that "challenging" the audience has no limits. You can overshoot the challenge, and then you're left with empty seats.
Reviews such as this are a problem for theatre:
As a writer and audience member, my wife can attest that I like some "odd" things. I respect adventurous writing and innovative staging. I've seen plays in which the actors never take the stage, and some that were immersive media experiences. I've enjoyed plays that are in multiple languages, reminding me that good actors and staging transcend language barriers (but I still tried to translate what I could). I've written plays in which mime was essential, and some that are surely abstract.
But you must never forget that people need to feel engaged by a play. Writing shouldn't push the audience or readers away. I don't fall into the camp that "art must offend" nor do I believe that "challenging" the audience has no limits. You can overshoot the challenge, and then you're left with empty seats.
Based on a small random sample of audience response, I might say "Mnemonic" is too good for its audience, except that the Quantum audience is as good as it gets in Pittsburgh (adventurous, intelligent, willing).
— Stage review: Quantum traces memory, mysteries
When you consider a work "too good" for an educated, informed audience including professors from excellent universities, it might be the work that is the problem. The acting was solid enough and the staging was excellent, but the play didn't speak to me — and judging by others, it didn't speak to them, either. The play feels like it was meant for a specific place, time, and production company. It didn't make the move, and maybe that's an interesting question in itself.
I can't say it was a bad experience, watching "Mnemonic." I can't say it was wonderful, either. It was "okay" — which isn't going to expand the audience for theatre. I'm not suggesting theatre has to be pop to be a success, but it can't be "okay" and thrive.
When someone like me, a fan of the surrealists, modern art, and experimental music, is left wondering "What was the point?" that's not theatre that's "too good" for the audience. (And yes, absurdist theatre makes the point that there is no point… but "Mnemonic" wasn't an absurdist work.)
When someone like me, a fan of the surrealists, modern art, and experimental music, is left wondering "What was the point?" that's not theatre that's "too good" for the audience. (And yes, absurdist theatre makes the point that there is no point… but "Mnemonic" wasn't an absurdist work.)
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