Episode 20: February 17, 6:00 PM
Beyond Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down
Who gets to decide what is good on stage? (And is that even the right question.) Join us for an in-depth conversation about the current state of theatre criticism, and the need for further diversity in the field. Whose voices are heard when it comes to reviewing work on our stages? And through what lens do critics view the work they see? Join critic/editor Diep Tran (American Theatre, Backstage, NBC Asian America); critic Soraya Nadia McDonald (The Undefeated, Film Comment, Fresh Air with Terry Gross; member, New York Drama Critics’ Circle, New York Outer Critics Circle, Television Critics Association, and American Theatre Critics Association; 2020 winner of the George Jean Nathan prize for dramatic criticism; a 2020 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism; runner-up for the 2019 Vernon Jarrett Medal for outstanding reporting on black life); critic and multidisciplinary artist Regina Victor (co-founder, Rescripted; member, HowlRound Theatre Commons National Advisory Council; Artistic Director, Sideshow Theatre; Board Member, The Sappho Project; Recipient, 3Arts Make A Wave); and journalist/critic Tim Leininger (The Journal Inquirer; member, CT Critics Circle, Outer Critics Circle and the American Theatre Critics Association), and Melia to discuss where we are at and where we could go – regionally and nationally – and why it matters.
Read Melia’s Message »