criticism

content

Chick Snipper

John Lazarus

Deborah Dunn

Mavor Moore

Peter Birnie

what we do

acknowledgements
_____________________

Guest Editor:
Alex Ferguson

Design:
Barry McKinnon



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Fall 2001

editorial

Criticism. It's hard to write. It can be hard to take. Some theatre and dance practitioners place a critic's value solely on her usefulness in selling tickets. Some think an articulate critic can push an art form higher. Critics can inflate or destroy an artist's ego, influence public funding for the arts, raise or lower the morale of a company and its Board of Directors, scare off or encourage corporate funding, help or hurt ticket sales. But can a critic play an inspirational role for an artist?

Recently I read a book filled with testimonials from American artists about how critics have affected their work. Rarely, even when the critic was respected, did the artist speak of any benefit of the criticism to their work. But I remembered an actor/writer, years ago, telling me how much he appreciated a particular critic's comments, so much that he willingly changed his work. I was surprised. Is it possible? Can a critic's comments have a positive influence on an artist's work? What does it require of the critic? Of the artist? I posed the question to three dance/theatre professionals (Deborah Dunn, John Lazarus, Chick Snipper). And I asked one critic to write about it from the other side (Peter Birnie). Finally, I went to an old master, Mavor Moore, who offered Transmissions a sobering look at the big picture.

Alex Ferguson

Letters to the editor - email: transmissions@rumble.org