ATCA International

WORLD CONGRESS: “Theatre Beyond the Theatre”

2011-10-23T00:39:00.000-04:00

Tomasz Miłkowski

The Polish section of the International Association of Theatre Critics has announced the colloquium theme for XXVI World Congress of AICT-IATC to be held in Warsaw, 26–31 March 2012. Organizer Tomasz Miłkowski, who is president of the Polish section, issued the following call for colloquium papers:

Theatre Beyond the Theatre

As the art form evolves, theatre performance appears to escape the theatre space. Artists create work designed to be performed outside theatre buildings. Frequently they stage work in open spaces, postindustrial areas, desolate locations, and in the streets of our cities, as they depart the traditional theatrical building.

Even when artists produce their work within the theatre building itself they often seek nontraditional spaces such as cellars, attics, technical rooms, or corridors. This shift in production practice seems to be more than a marginal phenomenon. It is a change that appears to draw the audience into closer proximity with the artists.

As these new production techniques develop, theatre artists frequently employ modern techniques including electronic media that may give live performance the feel of a video game. Artists also draw from new performance techniques and employ visual media in their productions. In doing so, they create a new world of theatre influenced by light and music that occasionally renders literature tangential.

Perhaps this marks a return to the origins of theatre itself when actors, singers, and storytellers presented directly to their audiences in city squares, on streets, and in meeting places not created for theatrical purposes.

Is this a victory for visual culture and/or mass culture, or is it a transitional phenomenon? Are we critics able to describe this phenomenon and give it a name? How do we address this dramatic, spatial, and aesthetic reconsideration of contemporary theatre?

WORLD CONGRESS: Warsaw 2012

2011-10-09T18:26:00.000-04:00

Warsaw’s Old Town

During its meeting in Tbilisi, Georgia, the executive committee of the International Association of Theatre Critics (AICT-IATC) announced the dates and location for the group’s XXVI World Congress.

For the third time since the IATC was founded in 1956, Warsaw, Poland, will host the most significant gathering of theater critics from around the globe.

Combined with the XIX World Congress held in Gdansk, in 1998, Poland has proven an exceptional and gracious host to theater critics. The congress and its related events will be held March 26–31, 2012. The American Theatre Critics Association will be officially represented by Jeffrey Eric Jenkins, a member of the international executive committee, and by the association’s chair, Jay Handelman, and vice chair, Jonathan Abarbanel. Additional information on the XXVI World Congress will be posted as it becomes available.

UPDATE: Statement on Robert Sturua

2011-10-01T02:03:00.001-04:00

FROM the Executive Committee of the International Association of Theatre Critics (AICT-IATC)
Following our meeting with Robert Sturua at the Rustaveli National Theatre in Tbilisi on September 29, the executive committee of the International Association of Theatre Critics, makes the following statement:

As lovers of the theatre and supporters of freedom of expression, we have been deeply disturbed by the removal of Sturua from his post by the Georgian government. Like so many people around the world, we feared that the government had used certain statements attributed to Sturua as a pretext to punish a critical voice from within the artistic community.

Needless to say, however, as internationalists, we were also concerned about the xenophobic remarks that had been attributed to Sturua. At our meeting with him yesterday, Sturua was very honest about what he said in May of this year, and about his motivations. He expressed regret for the particular phrasing that he used and was at pains to distance himself from anti-Armenian or any other xenophobic beliefs; indeed, he put strong emphasis upon the important contribution that Armenians have made to Georgian culture over many centuries.

We welcome these statements by Sturua, which we believe are entirely genuine. Indeed, as is widely accepted, prior to this episode, there has been nothing in Sturua’s theatrical work or in his public life that might suggest any xenophobia on his part.

Having met with the director, it is obvious to us that this matter could have been resolved between the Georgian government and Sturua without the director of Georgia’s National Theatre being removed from his position.

Robert Sturua is a theatre director of high international standing. We hope that, even at this late stage, the Georgian government will recognize its error in removing him from the Rustaveli Theatre, and, in the spirit of freedom of expression and artistic excellence, invite him to take the position of artistic director once again.

ARTS CRISIS: Georgian National Theatre

2011-09-08T20:42:00.002-04:00

Georgian Director
Robert Sturua

Georgian theatre critic Irina Gogoberidze reports from Tbilisi that internationally renowned director Robert Sturua was dismissed from his position as artistic director of the country’s most important theatre, Shota Rustaveli National Theatre on August 9. In a letter to members of the International Association of Theatre Critics (AICT-IATC), Gogoberidze wrote that Sturua was fired for “xenophobic” statements that he has made in the past.

Gogoberidze notes in her letter, however, that the government’s “real reason behind this decision was political.” According to the Tbilisi University professor, “Georgia’s government was very displeased by Robert Sturua’s critical public statements, interviews and his performances.” Among the links below, readers will find a May 2011 news article from the Georgia Times in which Sturua refers to government officials as “half-morons.”

International artists have clamored for Sturua to be returned to his position with Vanessa Redgrave, Alan Rickman, and Thelma Holt writing in a letter published online August 28 by The Guardian (UK), “We have never seen any evidence of xenophobia on his part whatever. We cannot believe that this is the real basis of the decision, or that such a charge should be used as a pretext to remove from the Georgian theatre one of its universally acknowledged living treasures.” Georgia’s minister of culture and monument protection, Nikoloz Rurua, responded in a letter published September 6 by The Guardian:

I agree with the authors that Mr. Sturua has made a significant contribution to the arts in Georgia and beyond, but they may not be aware of his recent remarks. In various interviews, he made derogatory remarks about minorities and suggested it was unacceptable to have a member of an ethnic minority (specifically, Armenian) as president of our country. It is correct that nothing in Mr. Sturua’s work suggests xenophobia, but he has not retracted his comments.

In a commentary published online August 23 by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Ghia Nodia, a Georgian former minister of education and science—now a professor of politics at Ilia State University in Tbilisi—acknowledged that Sturua’s firing might “inevitably” appear as if “political scores were being settled” and that Sturua’s “xenophobic comments merely served as the pretext” for action because the director is “widely known to openly oppose the government.” Nodia also draws parallels to Western democracies where public figures who receive their salaries courtesy of the taxpayer “would not remain in office very long” after making similar comments.

Gogoberidze calls for international “friends and colleagues” who have seen Sturua’s work, which includes 19 plays from the Shakespearean canon and a well-regarded production of Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle, to offer “support . . . in the fight against political persecution of artists.”

The Executive Committee of the International Association of Theatre Critics is scheduled to have its fall meeting in Tbilisi during the Tbilisi International Festival of Theatre at the end of September and beginning of October. ATCA International will provide additional reports from the festival.

RELATED LINKS
International Protests at Director Sturua’s Dismissal Leave Georgian Authorities Unmoved (Report by Salome Modebadze on Georgian goverment reaction to international protests of Sturua’s dismissal, The Messenger [Georgia], 8 September 2011)

Rally in Support of Robert Sturua Takes Place in Tbilisi (Report on protest by Rustaveli Theatre company members of Georgian government’s actions against Sturua, Trend News Agency [Azerbaijan], 31 August 2011)

The Fall Of Robert Sturua Sets A New Standard In Georgian Public Life (Commentary by Ghia Nodia on the website for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 23 August 2011)

Director Robert Sturua: Georgia Is Ruled by Half-Morons (News article in Georgia Times, 25 May 2011)

YOUNG CRITICS: Seminar in Latvia

2011-08-31T16:22:00.000-04:00

From MARK BROWN, Adjunct Director of Seminars (AICT-IATC)

The International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) is pleased to announce a young critics’ seminar to be held in conjunction with the Baltic Drama Festival in Riga, the capital of Latvia, November 18-24, 2011. The performances to be seen include work based on classic Latvian fiction, an exploration of the Latvian “national experience,” as well as visiting works from Estonia and Lithuania. The Latvian hosts invite IATC to hold one seminar group, working in the English language. The seminar will be open to a maximum of 10 participants. Applications are invited from English-speaking professional theater critics between the ages of 18 and 35 years; please attach to your application a brief (one-page) CV, two or three examples of your writing as a professional critic and a letter of recommendation from your national section of IATC. Applicants must be members of the American Theatre Critics Association. Applications will be submitted by the American Theatre Critics Association’s International Committee chair.

The rebuilt House of Blackheads in Riga

Successful applicants will be responsible for the cost of travel to and from Riga and the cost of any visa required for entry to Latvia. The Baltic Theatre Festival generously offers participants free hotel accommodation, meals and tickets for performances. Partial travel grants may be requested from the Foundation of the American Theatre Critics Association.

The seminar will be led by Mark Brown, an experienced theatre critic from Scotland. Completed applications must be received by the ATCA International chair by September 5, 2011. Successful applicants will be contacted as soon as possible in order that participants can make arrangements for travel and, where applicable, visas.

PUBLICATIONS: New Critical Stages Available

2011-06-25T16:30:00.000-04:00

The latest edition of Critical Stages, the web journal from the International Assoication of Theatre Critics / Association internationale des critiques de théâtre (IATC-AICT), is now online for your perusal. New editor-in-chief Yun-Cheol Kim sent along the following announcement letter, which has been edited for length:

The fourth issue of Critical Stages is finally posted. We am very proud that each issue of the journal has been visited by more than 50,000 readers. Please visit the IATC web journal at http://www.criticalstages.org/, and invite your colleagues, students, and your entire theatre community to visit and make use of it.

Starting with this issue, three major changes have been implemented. New editions of Critical Stages will be posted every June and December. This scheduling adjustment allows writers to address more theatre-oriented events, and provides more time for pieces to be written. A second change, and a rather painful one, was imposed upon us: Maria Helena Serôdio stepped down from her position as editor-in-chief, after having orchestrated the first three issues. Her expertise, competence, and sacrifices have been crucial to the birth of this journal. Critical Stages might well not have been possible without her leadership. As a result of Serôdio’s return to the editorial board, I have taken on the editorship myself; however, I think of myself only as an interim editor-in-chief, serving until we find a replacement.

In my role as the new editor, I have brought about a third set of changes. I have created a section called Special Topics that will accommodate articles or statements on current issues surrounding aesthetic or thematic approaches to the theatre; regional or global theatre arts policies; or other interesting phenomena of social significance to the contemporary theatre. I have also designated Section Editors, who will take the initiative to keep their respective sections dynamic. These changes have worked well, and that can be seen in this issue.

The special topic for this issue is “Censorship in Disguise.” Recently, there have been reports of unfortunate and anachronistic occurrences of political intervention into cultural policies, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. As President of IATC, I publicized my letters of protest on the cases of Hungary, Belarus, and Serbia, to protect the rights of our colleagues and their freedom of speech in theatre criticism; two of these letters are posted on the IATC website: www.aict-iatc.org. In this time of “Jasmine Revolutions,” censorship of any kind is pure nonsense. Andrea Tompa and Ivan Medenica let us know, through their reviews of Hungarian and Serbian performances respectively, how theatre artists have responded to these actions. Randy Gener has been keeping a keen watch on the agonies of the Belarus Free Theatre and gives us vivid reportage on the censorship and persecution of this courageous political theatre group.

Bringing further breadth to this topic elsewhere in the issue, Jean-Pierre Han’s review of the Iranian theatre and Alvina Ruprecht’s essay on the Cuban theatre are also written with reference to the notion of “censorship in disguise.” Taken all together, we have such a rich cluster of articles on the first special topic, both within and without the section itself, that they serve as a mandate for us to fight together against this evil practice, with vehemence and commitment.

The sections devoted to Interviews, Essays, Conference Papers, Performance Reviews, Book Reviews, and Critics on Criticism feature a broad and diverse collection of global perspectives on theatre and theatre criticism.

We are proud to present this fourth issue of the journal, which contains so much interesting work. Unfortunately, we live in a time when theatre criticism is being radically and rapidly reduced in stature. Let’s set aside, though, any pessimism, or even defeatism. Instead, we should raise our voices and speak up for the sake of theatre criticism and theatre art. Critical Stages proves, for the fourth time, that it serves this crucial cause very well.

Yun-Cheol Kim,
President, IATC
Editor in Chief, Critical Stages/Scènes critiques

CALL: Strindberg’s Legacy (Sweden)

2011-02-27T19:26:00.006-05:00

From DAVID GEDIN of the Strindberg Society

August Strindberg
(ca. 1900)

August Strindberg died in 1912 at the age of 63. Since his death Swedish and international scholarship have made the perspectives on his time and his work considerably broader and deeper.

How do we look upon his works today: his plays, his poetry, his prose, his aesthetical essays on theatre, his social and political criticism, his texts on science and his own paintings? How do we understand the society in which he lived? Strindberg’s Sweden was a country characterized by rapid industrial development and thorough cultural changes. How do we understand Strindberg’s relationship to this new society?

Every literary current has had its own interests and its own view of Strindberg both as a private person and as a writer. In what way has the conception of Strindberg and the use of his ideas changed through the years? From a working class hero to an avantgarde icon, from a psychological enigma to a corpus of texts?

In cooperation with the Strindberg Society, Stockholm University invites all interested scholars, critics and theatre workers to the XVIIIth International Strindberg Conference between May 31 and June 3, 2012 on the theme of “The Strindberg Legacy.” Submission of abstracts to roland.lysell@littvet.su.se before October 1, 2011.

CALL: Contributions to Critical Stages

2011-02-10T00:53:00.000-05:00

Critical Stages Invites

Submissions for Consideration

Web Journal

of the
International Association of Theatre Critics

SPECIAL TOPIC:
“CENSORSHIP IN DISGUISE”

Critical Stages announces its fourth issue with a call for critical articles, essays, interviews, and reviews that contribute to cutting-edge, international discourse on the theatre.

Critical Stages aims to document, celebrate, challenge and foster internationally the discipline and the art of theatre criticism, with theatre broadly defined; to employ theatre criticism as a springboard for opening communication between theatre practitioners, theoreticians and the general public; to create “critical space” for the theatre critic to develop and thrive; to increase the general readership for theatre criticism by providing international readers with a source for information and dynamic discussion of themes and trends in contemporary international theatre.

Each submission should be sent as an e-mail attachment, double-spaced in MS Word. Articles will typically range from 1,500 to 3,500 words. Please check with the Section Editor if the length is not specified below.

The journal publishes articles (not interviews or reviews) with an abstract, of no more that 200 words, in the alternate language. When possible, please submit English articles with an abstract in French; if this is not possible, the abstract should submitted in English and it will be translated. (For articles written in French, the reverse process should be undertaken.)

Submission Guidelines may be accessed here

Issue No. 4 Publication Schedule (2011)

Proposal Period: Now Open
Full Draft Submission Deadline: April 30
Writer Notification Following Readers' Reviews: The second week of May
Writer Revisions and Formatting: The third week of May
Publication: By mid-June 2011

JOURNAL SECTIONS

Please contact the individual Section Editor
to which your proposal relates

Performance Reviews welcomes critical appraisals of important, controversial, bizarre or simply good performances. The section hopes to report from as many different countries, cultures and languages as possible. The submissions must not exceed 1,300 words and must be accompanied by photographs of the performance. Section Editor: Matti Linnavuori (matti.linnavuori@welho.org)

Essays should offer a critical view on a particular topic. An essay might give an overview of an artist’s work—the journal recently printed two “in memoriam” pieces—but an essay might also celebrate a living artist. Alternatively, it could take a historical or analytical approach to a theatre venue, a theme—a recent theme was “painful memories,” for example—or a special questioning, such as previous essays regarding cultural identity and immigrant communities. Section Editor: Maria Helena Serodio (m.h.serodio@netcabo.pt)

Conference Papers. International theatre symposia and seminars play a vital role in the discussion of live drama throughout the world. The IATC is proud to play its part in this important area of critical work. The “Conference Papers” section will seek to offer an international platform for many of the most interesting and provocative papers presented in these public arenas. Section Editor: Mark Brown (mark.brown@strath.ac.uk)

Special Topics. This section invites three or four authors each to contribute an article or statement on current issues surrounding aesthetic or thematic approaches to theatre; regional or global theatre arts policies; or other interesting phenomena of social significance to the contemporary theatre. The editorial board may also consider unsolicited pieces. Each article will be more or less 15,000 characters (2,500-3,000 words).

The Special Topic for the coming issue will be “Censorship in Disguise.” See the Open Letter on the Oppression of International Artists of January 22, 2011, which is also posted on the AICT-IATC website. Section Editor: Yun-Cheol Kim (yunckim911@yahoo.com)

Interviews. Interviews are intended to compare and contrast the views of significant theatre artists from around the world. To this end, the section editor will provide interviewers with four previously formulated questions to pose. Interviewers are encouraged to ask additional questions to further illuminate or deepen the conversation. All articles are in a question-and-answer format, preceded by a critical introduction describing—not merely listing—the artist’s contributions or offering an explanation of why this person deserves recognition in an international journal. Submissions must include interviewee portrait and photographs of performances discussed in the interview. Section Editor: Randy Gener (rndygener@aol.com)

Book Reviews. Book Reviews will to review for each issue of the journal a selection of recently published books—generally not older than 24 months—that are considered to be of national and/or international significance for theatre workers generally and theatre critics and scholars in particular. Each issue should have a lead review of a major book that has been published in either English or French and should have an additional three to five reviews of books published across a range of languages (with particular emphasis on—though certainly not limited to—new books in German and Spanish). Reviews of important books in other languages will normally be published in either English or French. Section Editor: Don Rubin (drubin@yorku.ca)

Critics on Criticism. Critics on Criticism seeks:

1) In-depth profiles of, and interviews with, well-known senior critics: their careers and work, relationships to theatre audiences, conflicts and dilemmas, teaching experience, work in other theatre fields and art forms; and
2) Reflections, interviews or surveys on the teaching of criticism; the methodologies, theories and practices of criticism; comparison of courses given in different countries; theatre criticism’s relationship to other art disciplines; practical and theoretical dialogue between critics, scholars and others. Every submission should include basic information on the critic, including major publications, photograph, etc.

Section Editor: Andrea Tompa (tompa.andrea@gmail.com)

THE EDITORS

Yun-Cheol Kim (yunckim911@yahoo.com), Korea

Editor-in-Chief and IATC President

Lissa Tyler Renaud (English) (ltrenaud@gmail.com), U.S.A.

Michel Vaïs (French) (vais@ca.inter.net), Canada/Quebec

Co-Editors

Patrice Pavis (patricepavis@hotmail.com), France

Contributing Editor

Editorial Board Members

Mark Brown (mark.brown@strath.ac.uk), U.K.

Randy Gener (rndygener@aol.com), U.S.A.

Hervé Guay (rvguay@mlink.net), Canada/Quebec

Matti Linnavuori (matti.linnavuori@welho.org), Finland

Tomasz Milkowski (tomasz.milkowski@gmail.com), Poland

Manabu Noda (noda@kisc.meiji.ac.jp), Japan

Rodolfo Obregón (pasofranco@att.net.mx), Mexico

Ludmila Patlanjoglu (lpatlanjoglu@yahoo.com), Romania

Don Rubin (drubin@yorku.ca), Canada

Maria Helena Serôdio (m.h.serodio@netcabo.pt), Portugal

Maria Shevtsova (m.shevtsova@gold.ac.uk), U.K.

Halima Tahan (revista@teatroalsur.com.ar), Argentina

Andrea Tompa (tompa.andrea@gmail.com), Hungary

BOOK: Margaret Croyden’s Journey

2011-01-27T15:11:00.003-05:00

The Years In Between

Our longtime colleague Margaret Croyden—internationalist extraordinaire—has a new book in print. The Years In Between: A Reporter’s Journey World War II—The Cold War recounts Croyden’s memories and experiences as an actor “embedded” with American occupation troops in France and Germany just after World War II, who later went on to become the renowned critic and journalist we all know now. Her other books include Lunatics, Lovers and Poets: The Contemporary Experimental Theater and Conversations with Peter Brook: 1970-2000.

According to the publisher, The Years In Between is drawn “from diaries, tapes, and memories,” as Croyden “recounts her youthful adventures and struggles and a later transformation, this time ideological, wrought by visits to Berlin, Moscow, Leningrad, Beirut, and Jerusalem to report the theater scene and interview cultural and political leaders. Her vivid descriptions reveal a sharp mind, a critical eye, a humanistic sensibility, and a fearless dedication to the truth.”

WEB: New UK Resource

2011-01-26T13:44:00.003-05:00

A Circle dinner at the Savoy in the late 1940s.

Our colleagues in the UK have unveiled a fine new website. It is the web home of the The Critics’ Circle, which includes dance, drama, film, music and visual arts. According to information authored by Peter Cargin, “The Critics’ Circle is the oldest critics organization in the world and to date has over 400 members who work in the media through the United Kingdom.”

The site is valuable for its current perspectives on criticism as well as fascinating bits of history of the UK association, which are posted under a “history” link.

Cargin includes a telling quote that has currency today:
“Criticism is passing, as many of us know, through a difficult phase. Its field is becoming more and more restricted. There are fewer papers than there were before the war and less space even in these.”

The words were written by S.L. Littlewood in 1923 first edition of The Critics’ Circular. Littlewood was at the time president of the group.

In addition to the historical information, there is a wealth of information on a variety of topics such as awards, events, and the ongoing challenges we face in arts criticism.

OPEN LETTER: Oppression of International Artists

2011-01-22T14:05:00.004-05:00

From Association internationale des critiques de théâtre / International Association of Theatre Critics (AICT-IATC)

AN OPEN LETTER ON THE OPPRESSION OF INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS

In the wake of governmental repression of theater artists in Hungary and, more recently, in Belarus, the International Association of Theatre Critics (AICT-IATC) adds its voice to the global chorus calling for greater freedom on the pages of publications and on the stages of oppressed theatre companies.

As a non-profit, Non-Govermental Organization recognized under Statute B of UNESCO, the purpose of the IATC is to promote international cooperation through international engagement and advocacy for building bridges among cultures. In the recent repression and imprisonment of theatre artists, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko gives credence to critics who have called Belarus “the last true remaining dictatorship in the heart of Europe.” According to the New York Times, the deeply contentious election of December 19, 2010, after which Lukashenko claimed to have received 79 percent of the vote, led to the leader's announcement that more than 600 “bandits and saboteurs,” including several of his opponents, had been arrested.

The leadership of the IATC is deeply disturbed by the rising international tide of oppression of the arts and literature, especially of theatres and theatre artists. We deplore the conviction and brief imprisonment of Belarus Free Theatre's company manager Artiom Zhelezniak on charges of "illegal assembly." We celebrate the departure from Belarus of company members Nikolai Khalezin, Natalia Kolyada and others, who have been recognized internationally and were honored with a "Special Mention" by the Europe Theatre Prize.

Members of the IATC are theatre critics, but we are also theatre advocates and we will resist all governmental attempts to censor or otherwise marginalize the important work of our global theatre artists. When some artists and writers are not free to think, work, and create in an unrestricted manner, we all suffer a loss of freedom and of human possibility.

We call on all who love freedom—artists, audience members, governments—to rally against these specific oppressions, to agitate for greater creative freedom, and to join our voices in support of those who cannot, or may not, speak for themselves. We encourage our members to shine a bright light on these events and to keep these matters in the forefront of our global artistic discourse.

If we join together in this struggle, we shall prevail.

Sincerely,

Yun-Cheol Kim, President (Korea)
Michel Vaïs, Secretary General (Canada)

International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC)

Association internationale des critiques de théâtre (AICT)

YOUNG CRITICS: Seminar Announced

2011-01-16T16:25:00.000-05:00

From Michel Vaïs, Secretary General of AICT-IATC

Palace Square, St. Petersburg

The International Association of Theatre Critics (AICT-IATC) is pleased to announce a Young Critics’ Seminar to be held in conjunction with the 14th Europe Theatre Prize in St. Petersburg, Russia, April 12-17, 2011. The seminar will be comprised of three groups (working in the English, French and Russian languages), each of which will be open to a maximum of 10 participants.

Applications are invited from professional theatre critics between 18 and 35 years of age—there is flexibility in the upper age limit, members of the American Theatre Critics Association should contact International chair Jeffrey Eric Jenkins before submitting an application. The application form also requires a one-page CV, three examples of writing as a professional critic and a letter of recommendation from the critic’s national section of IATC.

Hermitage Museum Complex, St. Petersburg

Successful applicants will be responsible for the cost of travel to and from St. Petersburg, and the cost of any visa required for entry to Russia. However, the Europe Theatre Prize generously offers participants free hotel accommodation (you may be required to share a room with another participant of the same gender), meals and tickets for performances.

The seminar groups will be led by three experienced theatre critics: Jean-Pierre Han (Francophone group), Mark Brown (Anglophone group) and Nikolai Pesochinsky (Russophone group). The annual Europe Theatre Prize has been awarded to many great theatre makers (Krystian Lupa, Patrice Chéreau, Peter Zadek, Lev Dodin), and showcases many world-class productions.

Applications are requested to be sent by e-mail to AICT-IATC Director of Seminars Jean-Pierre Han before February 28, 2011. Members of the American Theatre Critics Association considering application should contact Jeffrey Eric Jenkins by February 1, 2011. A list of successful applicants will be made available as soon as possible so participants may make arrangements for travel and visas.

NEWS: Petition from Hungary

2010-12-27T20:18:00.000-05:00

From MICHEL VAÏS, Secretary General of AICT-IATC

Dear colleagues,
The following message from our Hungarian section contains a link to a petition. I encourage you to sign it, as I did.
Michel Vaïs

================

Dear Michel,

Thank you for circulating the Hungarian section’s letter to international media among the members of AICT-IATC. We have started a petition on the internet for the freedom of artists and press in Hungary.

During this week more than 1,700 people signed it from all around the world, among them Elfriede Jelinek, Richard Schechner, Luk Percevel, Caryl Churchill, Martin Crimp, Andrea Breth, Joachim Sartorius, Helgard Haug and many others.

We would be very grateful if you could put this link on the AICT-IATC’s mailing list, it would be a honor to have the support of the members: http://www.petitions24.com/hands_off_culture_and_media_in_hungary

If you agree with the petition, we also ask you personally to sign it.

Best regards,
Tamas Jaszay, Hungary

REPORT: Criticism Conference in Caen

2010-12-25T16:11:00.001-05:00

Members of the AICT-IATC gathered December 14 and 15 in Caen, France, to interrogate the shifting role of dramatic criticism in the cultural discourse of various countries. Representatives traveled from China, Finland, Korea, Quebec and the United States to discuss how criticism may influence theatrical production in their respective countries—and how theatrical production may affect theatre criticism.

Primoz Jesenko (Slovenia), Jean-Pierre Han (France),
Yun-Cheol Kim (Korea) and Qing-Yan Zhang (China)

In addition to presentations by outstanding international critics such as Jean-Pierre Han (France), Primoz Jesenko (Slovenia), Yun-Cheol Kim (Korea), Matti Linnavuori (Finland), Brigitte Purkhardt (Québec), Michel Vaïs (Québec), Julie York Coppens (USA), and Qing-Yan Zhang (China), those who attended the conference were given opportunities to see thought-provoking productions from the Avignon Festival.

Dream state: The beast and the blind (from La Mort d'Adam).
Photo: Tristan Jeanne-Valès

Jean Lambert-wild, artistic director of Comédie de Caen and co-host of the conference, presented his multimedia piece La Mort d'Adam, which employs live action—overlapped by projected film—and a female narrator who sits to one side of the action as she provides context for Lambert-wild's layered images. Anyone familiar with Western philosophy and religion might easily see parallels between La Mort d'Adam and tales from the bible, from Arabian Nights, from Greek myth, from Shakespeare. In a conversation with the assembled critics the next day, Lambert-wild shared the very specific influences from his own life that led to the piece. Some critics felt that the French text (and its English surtitles) confused Lambert-wild's tale, while others thought the spoken French provided a sonic score that enhanced the director's other elements of spectacle. Facing the critics, eager for a conversation on what may or may not have worked, Lambert-wild bravely demonstrated the possibilities for which Peter Brook argued in The Empty Space (1968):

I see nothing but good in a critic plunging into our lives, meeting actors, talking, discussing, watching, intervening. I would welcome his putting his hands on the medium and attempting to work it himself. Certainly, there is a tiny social problem—how does a critic talk to someone whom he has just damned in print? . . . The criticism that theater people make of one another is usually of devastating severity—but absolutely precise. (32-33)

Art Macht Frei? Silke Mansholt in Wolfstunde.
Photo: Tristan Jeanne-Valès

When all of the papers had been presented and the critical roundtable of Lambert-wild's piece had concluded, the participants were invited to see Silke Mansholt's Wolfstunde (Wolf Lesson). Mansholt's performance piece employs minimal technical elements and ritualized manipulations of the actor's physical body—Mansholt performs with collaborator Clara Garcia Fraile—in an exploration of the internal battles of darkness and light that comprise human experience. Where Mansholt differs from many other examinations of this type is in her use of imagery that speaks specifically to her heritage as a German—and to the echoes of guilt that resonate for many of those in the post-World War II, post-Holocaust generations. Her use of the famous Auschwitz sign, "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Will Make You Free), strikes chords of memory in the minds of her audience and asks an open question regarding the relationship between art and power. Ultimately, the piece seems to ask if the "power of art" is any power at all.

Throughout the four days, participants enjoyed marvelous French cuisine and wine as they engaged in ongoing discussions on theatre, criticism, culture, and politics. There were tours to sites commemorating the 1944 invasion of Normandy by Allied military forces and to a remarkable archive, in an abbey outside of Caen, that contains the works of many well known writers.

In remarks made during a discussion period following one set of papers, Lambert-wild argued strongly for an international federation of theatre-related groups dedicated to keeping the art form in the forefront of global cultural discourse. In the work generated (and seen) in Caen recently, it is safe to say that a good start has been made on getting that discourse underway.

MEMORIAM: Canadian Playwright David French

2010-12-06T14:49:00.000-05:00

From DON RUBIN, President of the Canadian Theatre Critics Association

David French has died at age 71 after a long battle with brain cancer. The playwright was one of the seminal figures in the emergence of modern Canadian playwriting in the 1970s. His plays Leaving Home, part of his Mercer cycle, and Jitters, one of the great satires on Canadian theatre, are deeply loved and profoundly effective plays, major works that have been done all across Canada and the United States, and continue to be done by professional and amateur companies. French’s plays—most of which premiered at the Tarragon in Toronto in productions directed by Bill Glassco—were also among the first to present real Newfoundlanders on a stage speaking in real Newfoundland accents. These plays will last because they truly are genuine works of art written from the heart by one of our first major modern playwrights. French was a dominant force in our theatre through the 1970s and 1980s and continued to write and produce new work. His contribution to Canada's cultural life was enormous.

LETTER: Response to Hungary Media Law

2010-12-04T12:43:00.000-05:00

Andrea Tompa, President
Hungarian Section
International Association of Theatre Critics

Dear Andrea,

The International Association of Theatre Critics fully supports your section’s fight for freedom of expression in theatre and arts. The new media law of your government is dangerous, anti-cultural and anti-intellectual, which obviously attempts to go back to that archaic practice of censorship.

Theatre has always reflected human societies and one of its essential functions is to criticize social complacency to better recognize and understand the world and the humanity. IATC deplores strongly any governmental attempts to control the arts, culture and media, whose critical performance has become even more important in this 21st century of globalized culture.

It is a great pity that such a culturally advanced country like Hungary is trying to implement its control over the arts, artists, and the media. IATC strongly demands that the Hungarian parliament and government withdraw this shameful media law and guarantee its artists freedom and independence.

Otherwise, we will make this issue big and global so that the world may know the danger and corruption in this new media law and its implementation in the form of replacing legally appointed, competent and ambitious artists with docile figures.

Sincerely,
Yun-Cheol Kim
President, International Association of Theatre Critics
Dean, School of Drama, Korea National University of Arts

REPORT: Arts Freedom Under Threat in Hungary

2010-12-02T12:12:00.000-05:00

From the HUNGARIAN THEATRE CRITICS ASSOCIATION, a section of AICT-IATC, forwarded to the United States section by Secretary General Michel Vaïs

Róbert Alföldi

A highly-contested and controversial “media law” of the present government promises serious control over the whole media, including blogs. The new Media authority—formed by members of the ruling party—will have the entitlement to control and punish. This week, independent cultural papers and sites are published with a blank cover page as a protest sign against this control.

Governmental attacks on the National Theatre and its artistic director, Róbert Alföldi, were only rumors until the “case” was recently discussed on the floor of Parliament. Members of Parliament described Alföldi as deviant, rowdy, and treasonous, and called the present National Theatre dangerous and mischievous. They are calling the work presented in the National Theatre obscene, pornographic, anti-national, and anti-Hungarian, and are demanding the expulsion of director Alföldi from the National. The Secretary of the Ministry of National Resources commented: “Everything will happen in due time.”

On December 1, one of the parties of Parliament, Jobbik, organized a demonstration next to the National Theatre’s building with the sole purpose of replacing the director. Artists, writers, critics, and theatre goers—organized by a Facebook group—also gathered in front of the National marking their sympathy for this theatre and artistic freedom. Since the beginning of Alföldi’s tenure in July 2009, the National Theatre has prospered and undergone an artistic rebirth. The director was awarded the precious Critics’ Prize in September 2010 for “renewing the National Theatre.” He also received a similar prize from the City Council of Budapest. Many works presented in the theatre received international critical acclaim were invited to international festivals.

Alföldi’s contract does not expire until June 30, 2013. His dismissal would mean the termination of this contract without any legal base, and this, consequently, could create a dangerous precedent: from that time on the leader of any cultural institute could be dismissed based on the aesthetic ideal of a given political party.

Another major cultural institution in the country, the Opera House of Budapest—the best financed institution—is also undergoing difficult times. The artistic director of the Opera, Balázs Kovalik, an internationally celebrated director, was dismissed this past summer. There is still no appointed general director to take his place.

Because appointments of theatre directors in the provinces are made directly by the local governments, decisions were often based on political sympathies for the ruling political party. This has been always the same, indifferent of political climate. The process has a legal face and an illusory professional basis, because seemingly directors’ applications and eventual appointments are based on competition. There is a board of professionals who evaluates the applications and makes recommendations to the local government. But this board is either formed of people with a particular political view who are certain to make the “right” decision, or it is an indeed free board whose proposal is not taken into consideration. This situation was recently repeated when the new artistic director was named to the theatre in Tatabánya, and a fine previous leadership was replaced.

The independent theatres in Hungary are most vulnerable in this current climate. This is the field that is most mobile, young, and willing to take artistic risks; this is the field that contains all dance companies, and most of the production houses and freelance artists. It has been only one year since the so-called theatre law, which guarantees for the first time that a minimum 10% of the total budget for the national theatre subsidy goes to independents, came to operate. One of the new cultural leadership’s first actions was to cut this subsidy, although it is such a microscopic part of the whole budget.

The theatre law will undergo a serious rework in the spring 2011, and there is little hope that the 10 percent for independents will be maintained. We are addressing you, the international theatre and media community, because we want to preserve the freedom of artistic expression and speech we gained 20 years ago after the social changes.

REPORT: "Intercriticism" in Slovenia

2010-11-03T18:38:00.000-04:00

From PRIMOZ JESENKO, Association of Slovenian Theatre Critics and Researchers (AICT-IATC)

Primoz Jesenko

The "Intercriticism" conference attempted a recontextualization and re-organization of critical writing about theatre and the performing arts, examining the situation of critical writing from various viewpoints and considering its professional position within particular social contexts. The initial presentation by Rok Vevar established "Intercriticism" as a notion that has yet to be given a full definition. It is hoped that in the course of the upcoming debate such a definition may emerge. As proposed in the call of the Slovenian section, critical writing has become just one of the roles fulfilled by theatre and performing arts critics. How do the various positions held by critics affect analysis, description, evaluation, and social position of the observer. And how do these positions influence the critic's relationship to the subject of observation?

More than coming to a common denominator in dealing with intercriticism, the discussion pointed out the heterogeneous ways of reflecting criticism and its roles in the countries of presenters. Apart from the more theoretical discourse of a couple of papers (i.e., on transfigurations of critical judgment of the "new" criticism), the conference presented many individual experiences. Although some presentations contradicted others in mild ways—which was anticipated in the dramaturgy of the selection process—papers pointed to other possible understandings of the proposed term with the "inter" prefix: the intervention of criticism in society, the intervention of the critic in the artistic event, a form of collaboration among critics.

Observing "Intercriticism" (Photo: Katayoun Salmasi)

Issues surrounding conflict of interest, critical engagement in society, the myth of critical distance and objectivity, and the Code of Practice of the AICT-IATC were discussed as well. The moderator of the concluding session, Kristof Jacek Kozak, noted that the debated notion became ever more elusive as the conference evolved. The variety of perceptions of contemporary theatre and performing arts criticism needs to be acknowledged in order to reach a fruitful debate on common phenomena of criticism.

The conference filled the auditorium on both days and produced a lively debate after every presented paper, which confirmed AICT-IATC as a highly responsive organism. This proved that reflecting and discussing the state of theatre criticism is a necessary intellectual discipline at any given moment. Hope persists that the term of intercriticism will pass into the general use and will in time gain a recognizable theoretical meaning. The notion managed to arouse constructive responses at the Maribor conference but its persistence still needs to be tried.

FESTIVAL: 45th Maribor Theatre Festival

2010-10-27T22:18:00.000-04:00

From MARK BROWN (UK), member of the AICT-IATC Executive Committee

Slovene National Theatre

Members of IATC were in the beautiful city of Maribor, Slovenia (October 20-24, 2010) as guests of the annual Borštnik festival of Slovene theatre, which celebrated its 45th edition. Delegates saw a wide array of performances in the splendid Slovene National Theatre. In addition, IATC colleagues from Slovenia and around the world participated in an excellent international symposium at Maribor University on the subject of “Intercriticism.” Many rich papers were given and an energetic debate was held.

What He Does for Art:
Marko Mandic in Viva Mandic

The festival kindly hosted the meeting of the IATC Executive Committee at the Slovene National Theatre. IATC President, Professor Yun-Cheol Kim, and the entire excom offer their warmest thanks to Alja Predan, artistic director of the Borštnik festival, Mojca Planšak, guest manager of the festival, and the festival team for their tremendous organization and hospitality.

Alja Predan, Artistic Director

CONFERENCE: Criticism Reflecting Nations’ Theater?

2010-10-15T20:43:00.000-04:00

From JEAN-PIERRE HAN, Vice President of AICT-IATC

Abbazia aux Hommes, Caen

Does your country’s dramatic criticism reflect your national theatre?

La Comédie de Caen

(the National Center for Drama, Normandy)

and

the International Association of Theatre Critics (AICT-IATC)

present

An International Conference

December 14 and 15, 2010

Organizers of this conference invite presentations, of up to 15 minutes in length, that discuss the state of drama criticism and theatrical production in the presenter’s home country. What are the links—or interferences—between dramatic criticism and the development of theatrical production? Does dramatic criticism participate in the chain of theatrical creation? If criticism has a role, how does that interaction occur?

The conference, including a series of roundtable discussions, will be held December 14 and 15 at the Theater of Caen. Ten contributions by critics are planned. Roundtable discussions will focus on shows seen locally and on dramatic criticism from the Internet (blogs, etc.).

La Comédie de Caen

International guests are invited from Monday, December 13 until Friday, December 17.

During the stay in Caen, guest critics will have the opportunity to attend two plays presented in the official programming of the Avignon Festival :

La Mort d’Adam, by Jean Lambert-wild, director of the National Center for Drama in Normandy. Patrice Pavis wrote of the productions that “in spite of the complexity [of its] device, of the multitude of tracks and interpretations, this play gives an impression of lightness, harmony and humor. An impression certainly engendered by the very mastered configuration of each of the components (read text, high-definition video, music, magic, photography) and their combination in the production.”
Wolfstunde, by Silke Mansholt. Performer Mansholt raises questions, in Wolfstunde (Wolflesson), on the wolf that is inside each of us, on the dark part of each individual and the battle between the dark part and the lighter, human part. Based on Mansholt’s personal experience, the work questions the power and impotence of art. Is art free? Are we? If there are, in our contemporary world, wolves and scapegoats, are we wolves or scapegoats? If we are trying to be what we do not want to be, is the wolf transformed into a scapegoat—or is the scapegoat transformed into a wolf? (Adapted from the Festival d’Avignon website)

Participants may also become familiar with the IMEC (Memory Institute of the Contemporary Edition) which possesses archives of such writers and artists as Jean Genet, Bernard-Marie Koltès, Kateb Yacine, Michel Vinaver, Jerzy Grotowski, Antoine Vitez, Alain Françon, and many others.

Deadline for application is 16 November 2010.

Jean Lambert-wild,
Director, National Center for Drama in Normandy

Jean-Pierre Han
Vice President, AICT-IATC
jp.han@free.fr

INTERCRITICISM CONFERENCE: Slovenia in October

2010-08-17T14:00:00.000-04:00

From PRIMOZ JESENKO in Maribor, Slovenia

Intercriticism

21–22 October 2010

Trstenjak Hall, University of Maribor, Slovenia

The Maribor Theatre Festival and the Association of Slovenian Theatre Critics and Researchers (a national section of the AICT/IATC) present an international conference on "Intercriticism," a re-contextualization and reorganization of critical writing about theatre and the performing arts.

In addition to their primary task, i.e. critical writing, contemporary critics have become interactively involved in parallel activities that pertain only indirectly to their area of work while, more importantly, engaging their field of vision as critical observers and judges. Usually, a freelance critic is also a member of various juries and panels, a dramaturge, a producer, a university teacher, a program adviser co-shaping a program, a selector of performances or a (co)creator of festival programs, a moderator of panel discussions, an editor of professional publications, a copy-editor, and sometimes even a performer. Critical writing has therefore become just one of the roles fulfilled by theatre and performing arts critics.

Over the past decades, the aesthetic, cultural, social, political and productional realities have placed the theatre critic into an area of intermediate interest, a location which has undermined the presence and the role of a critical position. "Theatre criticism" or "theatre journalism" has suffused virtually all segments of social life dealt with in the print and broadcast media. This raises the question of how much room is left for the critic's basic task within this network of interests, and how privileged this position is. How does this affect the analysis, description, evaluation and social position of the observer and his/her relation to the subject of observation? What happens when a critic no longer observes a performance from a privileged, detached position but becomes part of the performance itself as a result of these circumstances?

The inter-criticism debate will examine the current situation of critical writing from various viewpoints as well as its professional position within the context described above.

The deadline for sending completed contributions: 15 September 2010.

IATC-AICT NEWS: Minutes of Executive Committee Posted

2010-08-16T16:38:00.000-04:00

Minutes of the Executive Committee meetings in Yerevan, Armenia, have been posted on the AICT-IATC website. The documents are in PDF format and may be accessed by clicking here.

Members with interest in international issues or upcoming meetings and seminars may peruse these minutes to see how the process evolves for developing international programs within the International Association of Theatre Critics.

IN MEMORIAM: Ian Hill

2010-08-16T16:29:00.000-04:00

Ian Hill

From IAN HERBERT, Honorary President of IATC

Ian Hill, a longstanding friend of IATC and for many years its Irish representative on ExCom, died suddenly at the age of 73. Ian trained in dentistry at Queen's University, Belfast, where he got a taste for journalism, becoming editor of student magazine The Gown. He went on to work for the Belfast Telegraph before turning freelance, where he built up a reputation for being one of Northern Ireland's leading arts writers and critics. As well as writing about the arts—theatre was his great love, and he also reviewed exhibitions—he was a presenter of arts programs on Radio Ulster. In recent years he contributed an arts gossip column to the Belfast Telegraph as "Man About Town," while continuing to review, for the British Theatre Guide among others.

He contributed a major essay on Arts Administration to Stepping Stones, the Arts in Ulster, 1971–2001 (Blackstaff Press, 2001), the third volume in the Arts in Ulster series, covering the development of Arts Council policy and practice.

He was also a travel writer and spent ten years working for the Northern Ireland Tourist Board. He wrote or contributed to many books about Northern Ireland and also on his other love, fishing.

He was the theatre reviewer for the Belfast Telegraph for many years. His reviews showed a wide and deep knowledge and love of Irish theatre and he was always able to place the productions he reviewed in context. He was not afraid to be totally honest, so that praise from Ian was praise indeed and criticism was always constructive.

He died at home on Friday, 16 July 2010. He leaves a wife, Helena, and two daughters, to whom the Association extends its deepest sympathies.

NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS FOR CRITICAL STAGES EDITOR

2010-08-16T16:11:00.000-04:00

Maria Helena Serôdio, editor of Critical Stages, informs us that her correct e-mail address for queries from prospective writers is m.h.serodio48@gmail.com. We have attempted to correct all uses of her incorrect address. Let us know if you find an error.

IATC's Critical Stages Issues Call for Contributions

2010-07-08T13:53:00.000-04:00

The International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) is presently preparing the third edition of its web journal, Critical Stages.

The editorial board of Critical Stages, headed by Maria Helena Serodio (IATC honorary secretary general and professor at Lisbon University), as well as the journal's publisher, IATC president Yun-Cheol Kim, issued a call for contributions.

Kim writes: "Please contribute your articles, reviews, interviews, essays to the third edition of our web journal Critical Stages, which will be published in October, 2010. I would like to have as many countries represented in this international journal. The first two issues attracted so many visitors, more than 25,000 each, and I am sure we are doing the right thing with this journal to meet the expectations from the world theatre community toward us. Deadline for articles is August 31. You can visit the site at http://www.criticalstages.org/ and find the style and other guidelines on the front page."

ATCA members are invited to contribute.

For your convenience, the guidelines are as follows:
1) The review should concern a relevant performance during the current U.S. theatre season that would justify international attention, i.e., "that would be important for international critics and scholars to know about."

2) A double-spaced MS Word article file, 2,000 to 2,500 words (or 15,000 characters) in length should be submitted as an e-mail attachment. If written in English, the article should include an abstract – not longer than 200 words. If written in French, it should include an abstract in English.

3) The title of the article only should appear at the head of the article file. The author’s name and/or institution should not appear in the article file itself.

4) A separate file should contain a cover letter with author’s name, title of the article, address, e-mail address, telephone number, and professional affiliation.

5) The writer will have to provide at least three (3) high-resolution digital photographs (JPEG), as well as other types of illustrations.

A photo of a performance should include: title of the performance, name of the playwright (if there is one), name of the director, name of the company, theatre venue, date of the première of that performance, names of the actors (clockwise from top left) and photographer's credits. All necessary permissions for images should be provided. These photos can be in the form of an e-mail from the company, or documentation that you have procured the images from an official web site. In case the performance attended by the reviewer does not coincide with the opening night, the reviewer should somewhere register this fact in her/his text, but without interfering with the general information referring to that production (so that it should match the date recorded in national and international date bases).

6) All writing submissions will be reviewed by members of the editorial board of Critical Stages. This peer-review process will determine the suitability of the articles for publication. Reviews will selected on the principles of geo-political balance and quality of writing.

7) No fee will be offered for the contribution. At the moment, Critical Stages is, and will be, operated on a voluntary basis. (If and when the journal is able to generate enough revenue in the near-future, we will, of course, gladly pay for the contributions.)

8) The editorial board will be unable to read submissions of a different length or formatting from these stated guidelines.

9) Critical Stages is seeking original reviews, not reprints of reviews that have been published elsewhere. We ask that articles first published in Critical Stages include reference to the web address of the journal when they are republished elsewhere.

10) The deadline to submit the review is August 31, 2010. Please send your articles or any questions to Yun-Cheol Kim (yunckim911@yahoo.com) or Maria Helena Serodio (m.h.serodio48@gmail.com).

In this time of globalization, the members of the editorial board of Critical Stages are irresistibly curious as to what is happening in theatre around the world, and to learn the context of local performances. We hope you share our enthusiasm and will contribute your reviews, essays and articles to Critical Stages.

Message From IATC-AICT President Yun-Cheol Kim

2010-07-08T13:41:00.000-04:00

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Three weeks have passed already since we had our 25th World Congress in Yerevan, Armenia. I thank those of you who participated in the Congress for your great contributions to and cooperation for the success of this most important event of IATC-AICT. With those who could not come to this remote city, I would like to share the joy and pride of the achievements we made in the Congress.

I am extremely happy that the Code of Practice was finally approved, and almost unanimously. I hope these ten guidelines will be the lighthouse in performing our profession with intellectual freedom, professional integrity and critical competence. IATC-AICT also awarded its third Thalia Prize to Mr. Richard Schechner, whose writings and artistic works have greatly influenced our critical thinking for more than four decades. I am also very happy with the newly elected Executive Committee members. China has newly joined the excom, and Canada is now represented by Quebec Association of Theatre critics. With these two new members and the remaining eight incumbent members, the new Excom will work as hard as it used to, to serve well the IATC-AICT causes. I can assure you that we are a good team.

Now, I have a special request for all of you. Please contribute your articles, reviews, interviews and essays to the third edition of our web-journal Critical Stages, which will be published in October 2010. I would like to have as many countries represented in this international journal. The first two issues attracted so many visitors, more than 25,000 each, and I am sure we are doing the right thing with this journal to meet the expectations from the world theatre community toward us. Deadline for articles is August 31. You can visit the site http://www.criticalstages.org/ and find the style and other guidelines on the front page.

I wish you all nice holidays in good health.

All the best,
Yun-Cheol Kim
President, IATC-AICT

Georgia National Section Extends Invitation to Critics Symposium in Tbilisi

2010-07-07T15:37:00.000-04:00

Irina Gogobéridzé, representative of the Georgia national section of critics, has extended an invitation to the member of the International Association of Theare Critics to attend the Tbilisi International Festival.

Gogobéridzé writes: "We are happy to inform you that the second edition of TBILISI INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THEATRE is going to be held in Tbilisi, 29 September through 16 October 2010.

"Together with the international program, we will present a Georgian showcase, with the new productions of well-known artists as well as young and emerging theaters. We will be happy if you become a showcase guest during the four days from 29 September to 2 October.

"The autumn in Tbilisi is warm. I hope very much that the theatre as well as the simultaneous translation will not disappoint you.

"Welcome to Tbilisi, one of the most theatrical cities in the world!"

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THEATRE CRITICS

TBILISI INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

SHOTA RUSTAVELI THEATRE AND FILM GEORGIAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Cultural Bridge

(Experienced Critics Symposium)

Theatres – Audience – Critics:

A ”Bermuda Triangle” or a “Holy Trinity”

Tbilisi (October 1 and 2)

Many theatre-makers and critics claim to work “on behalf of the audience.” Others – a minority but no less vociferous – openly deride this idea: their criteria, they say, dwell in an area much higher than the level (i.e. taste) of the audience.

The audience is generally reduced to mere statistics: this mysterious, many-headed creature is very rarely invited to break out of its anonymous state of existence and become real faces and individual voices. The bulk of the awards are given by juries composed of theatre professionals only, at times with the explicit aim of counteracting the audiences’ preferences and verdicts at that. Don’t we, theatre professionals, tend to take the audience for granted, while effectively excluding it from the theatre equation when we start discussing it? Don’t we light-handedly dismiss respect for the audience as mere crowd-pleasing? How can we strive to improve the standards of the theatre without paying closer attention to the concrete needs, desires and verdicts of the people who fill in its halls? Are we ready to admit that at times the type of theatre we praise is exactly that which drives audiences away?

This symposium is an invitation for a discussion between theatre professionals, critics and audience members on what we all gain when the three sides of Theatre – Audience – Critics triangle are considered of equal importance and what we all lose when the balance is disrupted. The symposium is not only “open to the public.” It will rely on its active participation.

Preliminary Program of the Symposium

The Symposium “Cultural Bridge” will be hosted by the Tbilisi International Festival during the Georgian Theatre Showcase on September 29–October 2, 2010:

September 29–October 1: Georgian Theatre Showcase

October 1 and 2: Cultural Bridge symposium

October 3: Departure of participants

The symposium will be held in sessions: morning session will last from 10 a.m. until 1:30 p.m., followed by lunch. Afternoon session will last from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m.

Afternoon session of the second day—Oct 2—will be dedicated to discussion on Georgian Theatre.

Term of presentations is 20 minutes.

Term of interventions (with prior notice) is 5 minutes.

Notification on participation and abstracts of presentations in English or French (no more than 200 words) should be mailed in advance (deadline for submission August 15) to Irina Gogoberidze (irenetval@gmail.com), Eka Mazmishvili (eka@osgf.ge) and Kalina Stefanova (kalina@eurointegra.com).

The papers and the interventions will be published after the symposium.

Number of IATC participants: 10-12 critics.

Hotel, receptions, lunch, transportation in Tbilisi, excursions, tickets to the performances will be covered by the hosts.

Preliminary information about the Georgia Showcase is available at this website: http://www.tbilisiinternational.com/.

If you are planning to participate, please contact Irene at irenetval@gmail.com. Note the performances you prefer to see during your stay in Tbilisi and return the form by 23 July 2010.

Mario Fratti Reflects on Armenian Theater and IATC Congress on "Femininity in Today's Theater"

2010-07-07T01:21:00.000-04:00

We arrived one day early to enjoy the city. Flying Aeroflot (convenient and comfortable). The tourist office is well organized. They gave us two useful booklets: “Yerevan Scope” (Maps of Yerevan) and “Tour Info” (Armenia in Your Pocket). It contained precise information about Armenia’s population (3.2 million / 1.2 million in Yerevan) and full of details about museums and churches. We were particularly impressed by the Museum of Armenia Genocide; the Matenadaran, which housed ancient manuscripts; the History Museum; the National Gallery; and the Museum of Sergey Parajanov, a great artist who was also a friend of the filmmakers Federico Fellini and Tonino Guerra. We saw many original works of art, letters, photos and documents. There was also a sculpture dedicated to “26 Murdered Kommissars.”

I remembered from another trip to Yerevan, a stunning monument near the elegant Republic Square. I went to see it again. I was disappointed. It is no longer there. I was told it was destroyed by vandals.

We stayed in two hotels. The Metropole and the Shirak, both easy to reach. Our efficient Secretary General Michael Vais had organized every minute of our stay in Yerevan: list of the participants, meetings, symposia, time for the elections, and a biography of the winner of the Thalia Prize: our brilliant critic Richard Schechner. Michel even gave us a new “Code of Practice,” to be discussed during the Congress.

We began promptly at 10 am with a speech from our distinguished president, Yun-Cheol Kim. He reminded us of the theme of this year’s congress: “Redefining Femininity in Today's Theater.” (He was later unanimously re-elected to his IATC post.)

I listened with curiousity to all the papers written and delivered by the participants: Margareta Sörenson (Sweden), Jean-Pierre Han (France), Akiko Tachiki (Japan), Katayoun Hosseinzadeh Salmasi (Iran), Zhang Xian (China), Randy Gener (U.S.A.), Savas Patsalidis (Greece), Deepa Ganesh (India), Guna Zeltina (Latvia), Zane Radzobe (Latvia), Maria Helena Serôdio (Portugal), Patricia Keeney (Canada), Ravi Chaturvedi (India) and Ravinder Kaul (India). They all revealed details about great women in their countries, their huge contribution to education and culture. Maria Helena Serodio gave us useful information about a Jewish writer who was persecuted and died young in Portugal: Antonio Jose da Silva. He wrote nine plays that are being republished and maybe performed. The poet, Patricia Keeney, passionately defended the plays and achievements of the Canadian playwright, Judith Thompson; it was a discovery for many of us. Katayoun let us know that the condition of women in Iran is improving.

The delegates from India, China and Japan surprised us with lists of great directors and actresses whom we did not know, unfortunately. Margareta Sorenson reminded us that we must research and read articles and works written by Asian women.

We learned about many new playwrights including the new ones in Armenia: Yernjakyan, Shant, Demirchyan, Ananyan, Yernjakyan, Khodikyan, Santoyan, Teqgyozyan. Their hero is anyhow, William Saroyan, whom they call “the Good Giant.”

Every evening at five and at nine we were invited to see performances. Three evenings were dedicated to Saroyan’s plays: Salvation Island, You Are Coming Into the World (Marionette), and Stories in the Train. This last piece was well-directed and conceived with great sense of humor by Marine Malyan.

I focused on contemporary Armenian productions. I saw and applauded Anush by A. Tigranyan, a powerful and moving opera, a tragic love story that reveals the poetry of the Armenian world; Frank Werfel’s The Forty Days of Musa-Dach, about the Armenian resistance against the Turks in 1915; Durrenmatt’s The Old Woman’s Visit; and a stunning Macbeth, directed by Armen Khandikyan, with two powerful actors, Arthur Utmazyan and Luiza Ghambaryan. I also enjoyed in the elegant Chamber Theatre The Call of Glowworm, written and directed by Ara Yernjakyan. It is a brilliant satire about power, well-acted by Rafael Yeranosyan, Andranik Harutyunyan and Katrin Manasyan.

At the end of the Congress, we had a polemic, an ironic and pleasant acceptance speech by the Thalia winner Richard Schechner.

It was a successful Congress, but I had to conclude that their papers did not focus on Femininity. I shared with the participants my theory about the subject, which I have depicted in two of my plays. Feminine, gentle, poetic, vulnerable women have no chance in our society. They will become victims. — Mario Fratti

Critical Stages Publishes its Spring 2010 Issue

2010-06-03T01:16:00.000-04:00

The second issue of Critical Stages, the webjournal of the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC), came out this spring.

Yun-Cheol Kim, publisher of Critical Stages and IATC president, said, "All of the editors, headed by Dr. Maria Helena Serodio, have worked extremely hard to make this 'crazy project' a sustainable reality. This journal will be our contribution to world theatre, and serve greatly to make theatre and theatre criticism matter in our society."

In her editorial, Serodio added that the second issue "brings with it the evidence that the IATC is able to pursue one of its main goals: to highlight the need (and the importance) of critics and criticism in the field of theatre. But this claim is not to be held as a vain conceit: it only means that we assume this as a challenge and a responsibility, so that we shall do our best not to disappoint artists, readers and theatre audiences alike."

Three American critics were prominent contributors to the second issue. San Francisco-based writer and acting teacher Lissa Tyler Renaud interviews theatre directors David Zinder and Stan Lai (Lai Sheng-Chuan) in the "Theatre Views" department.

A daring contribution comes from New York-based critic and author of the book Theatre Voices, Steve Capra who actually reviews the first edition of Critical Stages, published this past fall. In his article in the Book Reviews" department, Capra, a dedicated member of the International Committee of the American Theatre Critics Association, writes:

The interviews, the reviews, the discussions of our iconic influences―these all reflect an erudite and articulate critical community. Indeed, Robert Greig's review is close to a model of analysis. Naturally, the material paints a more sanguine portrait of world theatre than it deserves. As our publisher rightly notes, “The theatre is in a real crisis.” The unique contribution of the issue lies in its first and final sections: “Theatrical Commentary and Professing Theatre Criticism” (it’s unclear why the sections are separate). It’s here that Critical Stages addresses its mission most directly, and we find discussions of criticism per se, material that contextualizes our work. It somehow validates us.

In addition, on the eve of granting the third Thalia Prize to Richard Schechner in IATC's forthcoming Congress in Yerevan, Armenia, to be held in June, American Theatre senior editor Randy Gener subjects the French critic, playwright and essayist Jean-Pierre Sarrazac to a Proust Questionnaire. The speech Sarrazac read in Sofia is also published in French. Sarrazac received the second Thalia Prize in Sofia two years ago “for having influenced critical thinking about the art of theatre.”

In the accompanying photos, the article shows the emblem of the Thalia Prize, which was specially commissioned from the distinguished Romanian stage and artist-designer Dragos Buhagiar: a cane with a silver top, representing Thalia, the Greek muse of comedy. (Incidentally, an interview of Buhagiar appears in the same spring issue.)

Says Kim, "The second issue shows some improvements over the first one. Now we have some moving images, more visual designs, and the archive where you can refer to the past issues. I have no doubt that Critical Stages will soon become one of the best resources, one of the most informative and relevant theatre journals in the world, especially given that we have such a rich pool of fine writers in every corner of the globe. Your suggestions to make it better are always welcome. Please visit the IATC Webjournal and invite your students, colleagues, and your entire theatre community to visit and make use of it."

"Redefining Femininity" Symposium for IATC World Congress Announced

2010-06-03T00:32:00.000-04:00

The International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) announced June 2 the preliminary program for its next World Congress, which takes place June 15-20 in Yerevan, Armenia.

The theme for this year's congress is "Redefining Femininity in Today’s Theatre." The call for papers, issued earlier this year, states: "The concept of femininity seeks in today’s theatre its own place, language, identity and expression. In the 21st century, it has reemerged as a creative issue. In a sense, even the masculine subject is isolated in the phallocentric system. “Alliance,” for example, is emphasized over “self” as a recurring theme, “difference” over “homogeneity,” “sense and experience” over “abstraction,” as well as “nature” over “civilization.” Can we characterize and explain the various phenomena of this 21st century concept of femininity?

"Some of the main elements characterizing the changing theatrical models which have emerged or developed under the aegis or influence of this new paradigm seem to encompass new subject matter; changes in plot and character; new developments and thinking in terms of the relationships between body and language; shifts in the encounters between the performers and the spectators; a reordering of the symbolic and thematic structures; a recognition of “the other”; poetic attention and expression to individuality and everyday-ness; fresh perspectives on the roles of memory, politics, gender, class, race, and family."

Papers on that theme will be presented by a motley of speakers. The preliminary program schedule, divided into three sessions, is as follows:

SESSION I, June 16, Wednesday, 10:00-13:00:
Chair: Margareta Sörenson

Keynote Speech:
Maria Helena Serôdio, Portugal, Editor Critical Stages, Honorary General Secretary:
Reframing the Feminine: Some Classical Heroines on the Contemporary Stage
Un nouveau cadre de féminité : Quelques héroïnes classiques sur la scène contemporaine
Jean-Pierre Han, France, vice president IATC:
The Position of Femininity in French Theatre
La position de la féminité dans le théâtre français
Ravi Chaturvedi, India:
The Emergence of the New Woman: Reflections on Indian Theatre in the 21st Century
L’émergence de la femme nouvelle : Réflexions sur le théâtre indien du 21e siècle

Guna Zeltina, Latvia:
The Emergence of the Concept of Femininity in Latvian Theatre
L’émergence de l’idée de féminité dans le théâtre lituanien

Katy Salmasi, Iran:
Feminism, Art and Theatre in Iran
Féminisme, art et théâtre en Iran

Deepa Ganesh, India :
The Woman’s Voice in Indian Theatre
La voix de la femme dans le théâtre indien

SESSION II, Wednesday, 15:00-17:00:
Chair: Jean-Pierre Han
Birgitte Purkhardt, Québec, Canada:
The Evolution of the Female Character in the Imagination of Québec’s Playwrights
L’évolution du personnage féminin dans l’imaginaire des dramaturges québécoises

Patricia Keeney, Canada:
Where the Wild Things Are: A Study on Canadian Playwright Judith Thomson
Où tout est sauvage, étude sur la dramaturge canadienne Judith Thomson

Randy Gener, USA:
Women and War: On Lynn Nottage’s Ruined
Les femmes et les guerres : Sur Ruines de Lynn Nottage
Savas Patsalidis, Greece :
Recontextualizing Sacrifice, Revenge and Power: Ellen MacLaughlin’s Iphigenia and Other Daughters
La recontextualisation du sacrifice, de la revanche et du pouvoir: Iphigénie et autres filles de Ellen MacLaughlin

Akiko Tachiki, Japan:
Femininity/Masculinity: Beyond the Border
Féminité/Masculinité : au-delà des limites

SESSION III, Thursday 10:00-13:00:
Chair: Randy Gener

Ravinder Kaul, India:
Redefining Femininity in Indian Modern Theatre
La redéfinition de la féminité dans le théâtre indien contemporain

Margareta Sörenson, Sweden, vice president IATC:
Femininity and Body Language, Reflections on Pina Bausch and Mats Ek
Féminité et langage du corps ; réflexions sur Pina Bausch et Mats Ek

Jae-Min Shim, Korea:
Lee Breuer’s Dollhouse
La maison de poupée de Lee Breuer

Zhu Ning, China:
The Female Directors in the New Theatre Market
Les femmes metteurs en scène sur le nouveau marché du théâtre

Zane Radzobe, Latvia:
Redefining Feminine: National Romanticism in Three Performances by Alvis Hermanis
La redéfinition de la féminité : Le romantisme national dans trois spectacles de Alvis Hermanis

Magdalona Jakfalvi, Hungary:
The Women, The Regimes
Les femmes, les régimes

Philip Zitowitz, Japan:
On the Geisha Today
Sur la geïsha aujourd’hui

Discussion and closure of the conference
Discussion et clôture du colloque

Paulo Eduardo Carvalho, IATC Director of Seminars for New Critics, Dies at 45

2010-05-26T12:04:00.000-04:00

Paulo Eduardo Carvalho

July 7, 1964 – 20th May 20, 2010

Born in Oporto on 7th July 1964, Paulo Eduardo Carvalho graduated from the Faculty of Letters, University of Oporto, in 1984, with a degree in Modern Languages and Literature (Portuguese and English Studies); taking the Translation Course in Modern Languages and Literature at the same university, in 1990. He then went on to complete a Master’s degree in English Studies at the Faculty of Letters, University of Lisbon, in 1993, with A História no Território da Imaginação: A Irlanda de Brian Friel e Field Day [History in the Territory of the Imagination: The Ireland of Brian Friel and Field Day].

2007 saw Paulo receive his PhD in English Studies from the Faculty of Letters, University of Oporto, for Identidades Reescritas: Figurações da Irlanda no Teatro Português [Rewritten Identities: Representations of Ireland in Portuguese Theatre]. This study, remarkable for its documental, theoretical and critical consistency, was subsequently published by Edições Afrontamento in 2009.

In addition to taking intensive courses abroad (most frequently in England, Ireland and Italy), Paulo was an outstanding presence in a host of international events organised by the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC-AICT), the English Society for the Study of English (ESSE) and the International Federation for Theatre Research (FIRT-IFTR). He also presented papers at Trinity College (1999), the Dublin Theatre Festival (2003), a number of IATC-AICT congresses, and at various European universities to which he was invited.

He was responsible for cultural activities in various major institutions in Oporto, such as Teatro Nacional São João and Rivoli Teatro Municipal; in addition to collaborating with the Serralves Foundation, ESMAE (the School of Music and Performing Arts) and the Eugénio de Almeida Foundation, among others.

A keynote speaker at numerous conferences and colloquiums (in Portugal and abroad), Paulo always brought tremendous energy and enthusiasm to debates on the theatre, literature, cinema, music and the fine arts, working with various institutions in the organisation of colloquiums, publications, courses and exhibitions, among countless other activities.

He was a tireless member of the Institute for Comparative Literature Margarida Losa at the University of Oporto; the Centre for Theatre Studies at the University of Lisbon and the Department of English and American Studies at the University of Oporto; making a vital contribution to colloquiums, seminars, conferences, exhibitions and various publications.

He joined the Board of the Portuguese Association of Theatre Critics in 2004, representing it on the IATC-AICT Executive Committee, and was currently the International Association’s Director of Seminars for New Critics.

In 2004, Paulo co-founded the magazine Sinais de Cena (produced by the Portuguese Association of Theatre Critics together with the University of Lisbon Centre for Theatre Studies), immediately joining the Editorial Board and regularly contributing articles, reviews and translations. He was also part of the team involved in producing the Cadernos de Literatura Comparada at the Institute for Comparative Literature Margarida Losa at the University of Oporto.

In the theatre, he was a founder member of the Oporto company, Assédio, did dramaturgical work with various directors and translated over forty plays by such diverse authors as Brian Friel, Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, Martin Crimp, Martin McDonagh, Marina Carr, Athol Fugard, Caryl Churchill, Wallace Shawn, Frank McGuinness and Thomas Kilroy, among others.

A man of vast learning, blessed with boundless energy and a rare artistic sensibility, Paulo Eduardo Carvalho was a major figure in both Portuguese theatre and Portuguese theatre studies. He established a remarkable level of academic rigor in dealing with the theatre, which was reflected by what he wrote in the field of the essay and critical analysis, clearly shown in his book on the Portuguese director, Ricardo Pais, Ricardo Pais: Actos e Variedades [Ricardo Pais: Acts and Variety] (Oporto: Campo das Letras, 2006).

He lived generously and lovingly, always available to anyone needing his advice and priceless help.

Paulo left us on 20th May. During a warm afternoon, he was tragically taken by the sea; and all who knew him are left with a huge, immeasurable sense of loss.

It is with an immense sorrow that I have to announce the tragic death of our colleague and member of the executive committee of IATC representing Portugal, Paulo Eduardo Carvalho. Dr Carvalho was also director of the seminars for new critics of IATC. Pleased read the obituary below, and pass the word to all who may have known him. On behalf of the IATC, I express my deepest condolences to his family, to his numerous friends and to his colleagues.

IATC Thalia Prize Goes to American Critic-Scholar Richard Schechner

2010-04-09T13:27:00.000-04:00

The International Association of Theatre Critics – an association of theatre critics, theatre journalists and theatre scholars in over 50 countries – is pleased to announce that the winner of its highest honour, the Thalia Award, will be American critic-scholar Richard Schechner for 2010.

“The Thalia is awarded by IATC every two years,” said IATC President Kim Yun-Cheol of Korea, “to a scholar, theatre critic or theatre practitioner whose writings have significantly influenced critical thinking about the art of theatre. Previous winners have included Eric Bentley (US, 2006) and Jean-Pierre Sarrazac (France, 2008). We are delighted to add such an eminent man of theatre as Prof. Schechner to the list of Thalia laureates.”

The prize includes a specially designed theatrical memento contributed by the Romanian national IATC centre and the Craiova “William Shakespeare” Foundation, and full expenses to attend the award ceremonies which in 2010 will be in Yerevan, Armenia June 16 to 20. Previous awards have been presented at IATC Congresses in Seoul, Korea and Sofia, Bulgaria.

President Kim pointed out that Schechner, based at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, has been the editor of one of the world's leading theatre journals, TDR (The Drama Review) for some 30 years. He first edited TDR from 1962 to 1969 and then returned to it again in 1986, still editing the quarterly journal today.

“During that time, he has turned it from a rather specialised academic journal into the world's leading journal on the avant-garde and later helped it to evolve into the premiere journal of Performance Studies, a field he virtually invented. TDR promoted very early on the work of most of the major avant-garde artists of the late 20th century from Brook and Grotowski, to Barba, Boal and Suzuki. Through its work in Performance Studies, the journal has significantly changed the way theatre is seen world-wide. As well, Prof. Schechner has been a tireless theorist of theatre in Asia and Africa. Indeed, an Asian version of TDR is now coming out in Shanghai. He is also the author of a variety of books which have significantly affected perceptions of theatre on the stage, and the theatrical in our lives,” said Kim.

Among Schechner’s major books are Public Domain (1968), Environmental Theatre (1973), The End of Humanism (1981), Between Theatre and Anthropology (1985), By Means of Performance: Intercultural Studies (1990), The Future of Ritual (1993), and Performance Theory (2003). His books have been translated into Spanish, Chinese, Parsi, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Hungarian and Serbo-Croat.

“One other aspect of his lifelong work as a scholar-critic-editor has been his constant willingness to test his theories as a working director, “ said Kim. “He has done this on stages in New York through his Performance Group (which produced such landmark shows as Dionysus in '69), through the Wooster Group, through the East Coast Artists company which he ran from 1992 to 2009 and in the many individual productions he has staged in China, India, South Africa, Poland and Taipei among other countries. He is truly an international figure and a most worthy winner of this award. We are delighted that he has chosen to accept the Thalia Award for 2010.”

Call for Papers for IATC Congress on "Redefining Femininity in Today's Theatre"

2010-03-04T00:12:00.000-05:00

The International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) has announced the theme and the call for papers for the 25th IATC congress which will take place in Yerevan, Armenia, from 15-20 June, 2010.

ATCA members are encouraged to register soon for this congress as well as to submit abstracts for papers on the theme by March 30.

Redefining Femininity in Today’s Theatre

IATC Congress Theme, Yerevan, Armenia

15-20 June, 2010

The concept of femininity seeks in today’s theatre its own place, language, identity and expression. In the 21^st century, it has reemerged as a creative issue. In a sense, even the masculine subject is isolated in the phallocentric system. “Alliance,” for example, is emphasized over “self” as a recurring theme, “difference” over “homogeneity,” “sense and experience” over “abstraction,” as well as “nature” over “civilization.” Can we characterize and explain the various phenomena of this 21^st century concept of femininity?

Some of the main elements characterizing the changing theatrical models which have emerged or developed under the aegis or influence of this new paradigm seem to encompass new subject matter; changes in plot and character; new developments and thinking in terms of the relationships between body and language; shifts in the encounters between the performers and the spectators; a reordering of the symbolic and thematic structures; a recognition of “the other”; poetic attention and expression to individuality and everyday-ness; fresh perspectives on the roles of memory, politics, gender, class, race, and family.

The IATC Yerevan congress seeks abstracts of no more than 500 words that would explore the theatrical contexts and new evolutions of a redefined and reinvigorated femininity in today’s theatre. Abstracts are due by March 30^th, 2010, and should be sent to Margareta Sörenson soerenson@swipnet.se. Formal acceptance of papers will be announced at the end of March. Final versions of papers (15-20 minutes) must be submitted on May 15^th, 2010.

ATCA Members Urged to Vote on IATC Code of Practice by March 10

2010-02-22T15:48:00.000-05:00

As a member of the International Association of Theater Critics, ATCA is asked to vote on a proposed new IATC Code of Practice. The ATCA membership vote will be totaled on March 10.

Following are an explanation and recommendation by ATCA International Chair Jeffrey Eric Jenkins and a link to the English and French texts of the proposed code on ATCA's official website.

Dear Friends,

For nearly two years, the Executive Committee of the International Association of Theatre Critics has worked assiduously toward creating a Code of Practice. This proposed code is not unlike the Code of Conduct which ATCA labored over in the 1990s and finally passed at the Utah Conference in 1997.

After many discussions that took into account both the journalistic and scholarly approaches to theater criticism which have to coexist in the IATC, the working group, which included our own Randy Gener, now offers a final text, which appears below in both its English and French versions. I believe this code offers helpful guideposts for criticism on a global scale, without constraining one from doing work according to one’s own high professional standards.

While there may be slight disagreements among us regarding a word here or a phrase there, we must also take into account that the two texts have to be consistent with each other.

Please know that this document has been created in the finest traditions of international cooperation and collaboration. In this spirit, I strongly urge that ATCA members vote in the affirmative.

All ATCA members are urged to vote. We are asking that votes be registered with me via a special e-mail address no later than 10 March 2010. We will report the results to the International President, Yun-Cheol Kim, on 14 March 2010. If the Code is approved by a majority of the IATC’s sections, of which ATCA is one, it will be on the agenda for adoption at the IATC World Congress in Yerevan, Armenia, June 15-20, 2010.

You may read the document, which is linked on the International page of the ATCA website.

ATCA is voting specifically on the English text. Best Plays Theater Yearbook is hosting a special mailbox for these votes. Please email your vote to: intl@bestplays.org.

With all best wishes,

Jeffrey

--

Jeffrey Eric Jenkins
Member, Executive Committee of the International Association of Theatre Critics

IATC Web Journal Announces a Call for Review Submissions

2010-01-24T21:04:00.000-05:00

Dear ATCA Friends and Colleagues,

As you know, the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) recently launched a web journal called Critical Stages. The editorial board of Critical Stages, headed by Maria Helena Serodio (IATC honorary secretary general and professor at Lisbon University), is presently preparing the second edition of the journal, one of the key departments of which is called "Theatre Reviews."

I would like to invite several ATCA members to submit reviews. Here are the guidelines:

1) The review should concern a relevant performance during the current U.S. theatre season that would justify international attention, i.e., "that would be important for international critics and scholars to know about."

2) A double-spaced MS Word article file, 2,000 to 2,500 words (or 15,000 characters) in length should be submitted as an e-mail attachment. If written in English, the article should include an abstract – not longer than 200 words. If written in French, it should include an abstract in English.

3) The title of the article only should appear at the head of the article file. The author’s name and/or institution should not appear in the article file itself.

4) A separate file should contain a cover letter with author’s name, title of the article, address, e-mail address, telephone number, and professional affiliation.

5) The writer will have to provide at least three (3) high-resolution digital photographs (JPEG), as well as other types of illustrations. A photo of a performance should include: title of the performance, name of the playwright (if there is one), name of the director, name of the company, theatre venue, date of the première of that performance, names of the actors (clockwise from top left) and photographer's credits. All necessary permissions for images should be provided. These photos can be in the form of an e-mail from the company, or documentation that you have procured the images from an official web site. In case the performance attended by the reviewer does not coincide with the opening night, the reviewer should somewhere register this fact in her/his text, but without interfering with the general information referring to that production (so that it should match the date recorded in national and international date bases).

6) All writing submissions will be reviewed by members of the editorial board of Critical Stages. This peer-review process will determine the suitability of the articles for publication. Reviews will selected on the principles of geo-political balance and quality of writing.

7) No fee will be offered for the contribution. At the moment, Critical Stages is, and will be, operated on a voluntary basis. (If and when the journal is able to generate enough revenue in the near-future, we will, of course, gladly pay for the contributions.)

8) The editorial board will be unable to read submissions of a different length or formatting from these stated guidelines.

9) Critical Stages is seeking original reviews, not reprints of reviews that have been published elsewhere. We ask that articles first published in Critical Stages include reference to the web address of the journal when they are republished elsewhere.

10) The deadline to submit the review is Feb. 12, 2010. Please send your articles or any questions to Yun-Cheol Kim (yunckim@naver.com) or Maria Helena Serodio (m.h.serodio@netcabo.pt).

Theatre reviewing is one of our most important functions as critics. In this time of globalization, the members of the editorial board members of Critical Stages are irresistibly curious of what is happening in theatre around the world and to learn the context of local performances. I hope you share our enthusiasm and will contribute your reviews to Critical Stages. I look forward to your sympathetic response and encouragement.

Sincerely,
Randy Gener

in behalf of the editorial board of Critical Stages, the IATC web journal
vice president, ATCA's international committee, http://www.atcainternational.blogspot.com/
senior editor, American Theatre magazine / Theatre Communications Group
on Twitter: http://twitter.com/RandyGener

International Theatre Critics Association Launches a Web Journal

2009-11-03T23:34:00.000-05:00

The International Theatre Critics Association (IATC) has founded a new web journal, called Critical Stages, which debuted in November at www.criticalstages.org.

Published in English and French, the biennial web journal is a collaborative and international effort whose primary aim is to provide an outlet for articles about the art of criticism in the theatre.

Critical Stages contains not only theatre criticism but also interviews and other articles about theatre seen from a critic's point of view.

Says Critical Stages publisher Yun-Cheol Kim, who is also the president of IATC, "There are abundant reasons and motivations for creating the journal, among which two are the most important. First, the theatre is in a real crisis. There is no time in history when the theatre has lost its social function as much as it has in our time. In Europe, people have already begun to speak of the death, not the crisis, of the theatre. In response, a journal on theatre criticism can help make theatre matter in society."

Kim continues: "Second, theatre criticism itself is in critical condition. A journal such as this one may help theatre criticism to recover its vitality, so it can serve the theatre arts and the society. I firmly believe that the most important function of theatre criticism is, and should remain, to generate interest in the theatre arts in society."

The inaugural issue delves into the Polish guru Jerzy Grotowski; the dramatist Eugene Ionesco; and the first IATC Thalia Prize winner, the playwright/critic Eric Bentley. It also contains a penetrating review of the Swedish dramatist Lars Noren's Diary as well as performances in various countries.

The contributors in the first issue cover countries from all continents: South Korea, India, Japan, Israel, France, United Kingdom, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Greece, Finland, the United States, Mexico, Canada, Cuba and South Africa.

The editor-in-chief is Maria Helena Serodio, an academic and critic from Portugal. The co-editors are Lissa Tyler Renaud (English language), a theatre director and scholar from the United States; and Michel Vais (French language), a critic from Quebec, Canada.

In addition to Yun-Cheol Kim, the members of the editorial board of Critical Stages consist of Randy Gener, a critic and editor from the United States; Herve Guay, an academic and critic from Quebec, Canada; Temple Hauptfleisch, a critic from South Africa; Matti Linnavuori, a critic from Finland; Tomasz Milkowski, a critic from Poland; Manabu Noda, an academic and critic from Japan; Rodolfo Obregon, a critic from Mexico; Ludmila Patlanjoglu, an academic and critic from Romania; Patrice Pavis, a theoretician from France; Maria Shevtsova, an academic from the United Kingdom; Don Rubin, an academic and critic from Canada; Halima Tahan, a critic from Argentina.

IATC, established in 1956, operates through its national sections in some 50 countries. [Gener]

Nominations Are Now Open for the IATC Thalia Prize 2010

2009-09-19T00:54:00.000-04:00

In 2006, the IATC Thalia Prize went to Eric Bentley, the world-renowned U.S. playwright, singer and critic who wrote such plays as Lord Alfred's Lover and such path-finding books as The Playwright as Thinker, Bentley on Brecht and The Life of the Drama.

Two years later, in 2008, the prestigious Thalia Prize went to Jean-Pierre Sarrazac, the French playwright, director and critic who was the first to identify the influential notion of the post-dramatic theatre.

It is now time to choose the next winner from anywhere in the world. Who would you like to nominate for the third IATC Thalia Prize? The Executive Committee of the International Association of Theatre Critics has issued an open call for nomination from each IATC national section.

The deadline is for nominations is December 1, 2009. The winner who will take home the IATC Thalia Prize (it takes the form of a cane, see photo below) will be chosen on January 30, 2010.

Here are the official rules and instructions:

The Thalia Prize is normally awarded by the International Association of Theatre Critics at each of its biennial congresses to a scholar, theatre critic or theatre practitioner whose writings have significantly influenced critical thinking about the art of theatre. Previous winners are Eric Bentley (US, 2006) and Jean-Pierre Sarrazac (France, 2008).

The prize includes a specially designed theatrical memento contributed by the Romanian national Section and the Craiova Shakespeare Foundation, and full expenses to attend the award ceremonies wherever they take place. Previous awards have been presented at IATC Congresses in Seoul, Korea and Sofia, Bulgaria.

Each IATC Section is encouraged to nominate Thalia candidates from anywhere in the world.

The ultimate winner will normally be well-known in at least one geographical or linguistic region of the world and at least modestly known in a second region. To ensure this, each nominating national IATC Section is encouraged to obtain a seconder from another geographical or linguistic region. Candidates with seconders will be given primary consideration.

Each national IATC Section may nominate two candidates but if a Section chooses to submit a second nomination, that person must come from another country. A Section may not second more than two candidates.

All nominations will be vetted by the IATC Executive Committee to ensure these rules have been met. The Excom will vote on a winner at a meeting or by e-mail at least three months prior to the actual presentation of the award. The Executive Committee may not add candidates to the list but may decline to give the award in any given year for lack of suitable nominees. The Excom’s decision shall be final and not subject to further discussion.

To submit a nominee, a national Section must send a letter or an e-mail to the IATC President, copied to the IATC Secretary General, that includes a justification for each nomination of up to 300 words. This must include the major work or works of the writer along with brief biographical details and a statement of why this person is deserving of the Thalia. Verbal nominations will not be accepted. In countries where there is more than one recognized national group, each one may submit one nominee without the agreement of the other one(s). E-mail and/or telephone contact information for the nominee must be part of the nomination letter.

Ideally, the laureate will be available to attend the award ceremonies. The IATC will cover economy air and hotel costs to ensure such participation. Should they be unable to come to the award ceremony, the nominee must be willing to send a speech of acceptance and/or a lecture which will be read publicly on that occasion. Excom will handle these details in association with the Section in the winner’s home country.

Sections may nominate a candidate as many times as they wish as long as they follow procedures for each new nominating period. A list of previous winners (and nominees, from 2010 on) will be circulated with the call for new candidates.

The deadline for receipt of nominees for the 2010 award (to be presented at the 2010 IATC Congress) is December 1^st, 2009. A final decision will be made by the Excom by 30 January 2010.

In the South Korean capital of Seoul, ATCA delegates Kerri Allen, Carol Douglass, Glenn Loney, Thalia Prize winner Eric Bentley, Randy Gener and Gwen Orel.

New IATC Reports Now Posted on Website

2009-09-05T18:00:00.000-04:00

Dr. Michel Vais, secretary general of the International Association of Theatre Critics, writes from Montreal Canada that the reports of four of the last seminars for new critics, with many photos, are now posted on the official IATC website. To access the reports, please visit this link. You may download the reports about the New Critics Seminars which took place in Santiago de Compostela in Spain (2007); Sfantu Gheorghe in Romania (2009); Wroclaw, Poland (2009); and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Most reports are in English.

In addition, the minutes of the April 2, 2009 meeting of the Executive Committee of IATC, which took place in Wroclaw, Poland, during the Europe Theatre Prize, is now posted on the website. To access this report, please visit this link. You will find valuable information about the past and present activities of the IATC, including seminars, symposia and the Thalia Prize.

Please note that the term "Young Critics" is no longer being used. The current moniker is "New Critics." Information about future New Critics Seminars will be announced as soon as the dates and places become available. [Gener]

Peter Brook Lands at Ringling International Fest in Sarasota, Oct. 7-11

2009-09-05T17:23:00.000-04:00

U.S. critics, especially members of ATCA, are being invited to the Ringling International Arts Festival in Sarasota, Florida, taking place October 7 to 11, 2009. Presented by the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in association with the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York, this inugural festival hopes to transform Sarasota into a destination for experimental and international theatre work, perhaps akin to the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina.

One of the festival's top attraction is the U.S. premiere of Peter Brook's Love is My Sin, a theatre work which brings to life Shakespeare's sonnets and performed by his longtime collaborators Michael Pennington and Natasha Parry; Ella Hickson's series of monologes Eight, about ordinary British folk (from a single mother to a young Iraq veteran), which won eight major prizes at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival; a workshop premiere of Elevator Repair Service's adaptation of The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway; and a strange theatrics of Meow Meow from Austria in their camp Beyond Glamour: The Absinthe Tour. In addition, there will be dance and music performances from Israeli, Irish and Argentinian choreographers, musicans and artists, as well as local Florida actors and performers.

"We hope that you will be able to attend," says Janet Stapleton, the publicist in charge of giving this festival national exposure. "Each program is scheduled daily and is about one-hour in length, so it is possible to see several shows in one day. All requests must be received by September 15, 2009. Any requests made after this date are subject to availability." Contact Janet Stapleton at 212-633-0016 or via email. [Randy Gener]

Dutch's New Island Festival Invades Governors Island in New York

2009-09-05T16:17:00.000-04:00

Direct from Holland, the New Island Festival will provide a host of Dutch-made theatrical shows, art installations and music acts that can be enjoyed by people of all ages on New York's Governors Island from September 10-13 and again from September 17-20.

The festival will kick off the fall with provocative theatre, site-specific performances, visual arts, silent DJ sets, performed by Dutch performers. More than 150 Dutch artists will perform during the festival. The festival is part of NY400, which celebrates the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage from Amsterdam to New York harbor, and commemorates 400 years of friendship between the Netherlands and the United States.

New Island Festival is a merging of the Oerol and De Parade festivals from Holland. Some featured events are the U.S. premiere of Ivo van Hove's The Human Voice; a site-specific performance and dinner called Orfeo; an outdoor music/film piece, LAN, from a Fryslan composer; Silent Disco, in which people dance disco using headseats; and four installation art groups, all formerly held residencies at Robert Wilson's Watermill Center in Long Island, performing in the houses on Colonel's Row on Governors Island.

Two member of the interdisciplinary group SLeM, Bruno Doeden and Theo Heldens, also invites members of ATCA to visit the group's Wind Nomads, a landscape-theatre project featuring two-sided paintings perched on metal pipes and installed on Governors Island.

Governors Island is easily accessible via a free and short ferry ride. The cost is only $35 for a passport, which allows visitors to see everything. [Gener]

Free Theatre of Belarus Visits Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles

2009-09-05T16:05:00.000-04:00

The Free Theater of Belarus is returning to the United States.

This dissident independent company from Minsk will perform Generation Jeans on September 15 and Discover Love on September 16 in Washington, D.C. In addition, the troupe will teach at CalArts from September 18 to October 3. At REDCAT Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theatre in Los Angeles, Discover Love will perform October 1 to 3. And on September 24 in San Diego, there is a conference entitled "Bearing Exquisite Witness" in which Discover Love will be the opening-night event. Here is the link.

September 16 is the 10th year anniversary of the kidnapping and murder of Anatoly Krasovskiy and Victor Gonchar. Krasovskiy supported the Belarusian opposition financially, and Gonchar was vice-speaker of the Belarusian parliament. Using Discover Love, a play about the story of Anatoly and his wife Irina, Free Theatre wishes to attact media attention to the case of enforced disappearances in Belarus.

Those who might like to become acquainted with the situation of the Belarus Free Theatre as dissident artists in the former Soviet country might visit the Free Theater's website. You may also read Randy Gener's essay on the Free Theater which was published in the May/June 2009 international-theatre edition of American Theatre magazine, which is devoted to the post-Soviet theatre of several countries in Eastern and Central Europe. The essay is called "Fomenting a Denim Revolution: The guerilla artists of Belarus Free Theatre perform underground while arguing openly for regime change." [Gener]

Croatia Invites Critics for National Theatre Showcase in November

2009-09-05T15:55:00.000-04:00

As a member of the U.S. Center of the International Theatre Institute (ITI), American Theatre senior editor Randy Gener would like to pass along information about the 5th Croatian Theatre Showcase which will be held in Zagreb, Croatia, from November 5 to 9, 2009.

This showcase is intended to show foreign theatre producers, directors, critics, festival directors and other interested theatre parties the best plays of Croatian theatre which is still largely unknown and absent on the European theatre map. The play selections were made by Zeljka Turcinovic, president of the Croatian center of the ITI; and Tajana Gasparovic, Croatian ITI programme coordinators. Both are dramaturge.

If you can pay for your own plane fare to Croatia, the Croatian ITI will cover the expenses of your stay (hotel, food, performancees, tickets). Unfortunately, the Croatian ITI cannot finance your trip to Croatia, because they cannot afford it. The contact person is Tajana Gasparovica at hc-iti [at] zg.t-com.hr. [Gener]

Call for Papers on Performance and Ecology

2009-09-05T15:50:00.000-04:00

Theresa J. May, founder and artistic director of Earth Matters on Stage, and Wendy Arons, director of the Performance and Ecology Public Art Initiative, have issued a call for papers for a jointly edited publication, Essays in Performance and Ecology, to be published in 2011.

The proposed anthology of essays, interviews and artist statements will include papers dealing with ecocritical concerns as they relate to theatre and performance. The editors are especially interested in explorations that employ the science of ecology as a critical framework, or employ environmental history to contextualize performance.

Deadline for abstracts is Oct. 1, 2009. Please visit this link. [Gener]

IATC Book on "Theatre and Humanism in a World of Violence" Published

2009-09-05T15:18:00.000-04:00

The proceedings of the 2008 IATC World Congress in Sofia, Bulgaria were published in a new book, Theatre and Humanism in a World of Violence, edited by Kalina Stefanova and Ian Herbert. The book was financed by the Bulgarian ministry of culture and published in Sofia by St. Kliment Ohridski University Press.

Theatre and Humanism in a World of Violence is the first attempt in a book-length form to answer such hot-button questions as: "What makes violence onstage today so sexy? Until recently, violence for its own sake was the prerogative of B-movies and junk mystery novels. What made theatre follow suit? What is the impact of the theatre of violence on the audience? Doesn't it actually make us conformists? Is there still a place for humanism among all the post-modern "isms," including post-human or meta-human theatre? What is the relationship between vilolence and the aesthetics of ugliness?"

Ranging from meditative essays and voices reflecting deliberately provocative and politically incorrect stances, Theatre and Humanism in a World of Violence contains challenging critical views from India to Argentina, South Africa to Finland, U.S.A. to Korea, as well as by respected theatremakers such as the Latvian director Alvis Hermanis and the British playwright David Edgar.

One ATCA members is represented in the new volume: Randy Gener's Nathan Award-winning essay "See Under: HOMELAND," a scholarly response on how Israeli and American theatre artists espouse humanism in a world of violence on U.S. stages.

As a bonus, the volume contains the acceptance speech of the second winner of the IATC Thalia Prize, the French critic, director and playwright Jean-Pierre Sarrazac, who can be said to have first identified the notion of a post-dramatic theatre. There is also a post-script: a text delivered to IATC immediately before its Congress by Richard Schechner, the distinguished American director and theatre scholar, on the notion of the five avant-gardes.

Copes were distributed at the Europe Theatre Prize in Wroclaw, Poland, exactly a year after the events it records. If you do not have a copy and wish to use it for teaching, please contact Kalina Stefanova (kalina@eurointegra.com) who may be able to arrange for her Ministry of Culture to send you an author's copy. Anyone else who would like to purchase a copy at the published price of 60 euros, the person to contact is Ian Herbert (ian@herbertknott.com), and he will try to arrange shipment. [Gener]

Notice of a Future IATC Symposium in Tokyo

2009-09-05T13:39:00.000-04:00

The Japanese national section of the International Theatre Critics Association has proposed that it would like to host a symposium on Asian theatre and criticism: five nights and six days in Tokyo on November 2010. More details to come. [Gener]

IATC Symposium in Pilsen in the Czech Republic

2009-09-05T02:43:00.000-04:00

The International Theatre Critics Association is holding a symposium in the city of Pilsen in the Czech Republic in September fromn September 9 to 14. Titled "20 Years LAter or Metamorphosis of Theatre and its Reflection since 1989," the symposium commemorates the forthcoming anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the rise of the Iron Curtain.

The description reads: "The face of the world has been dramatically changing ever since, and so have its stages on either side of the former 'curtain.' Or have they? What have been the most conspicuous gains and losses? Is there still a distinct Eastern/Central European theatre style, and if so what is it and why? Has it influenced Western stages? Or has the process been only one-way: i.e., West-East and only on a management and structural level at that? How has the nature of the theatre-audience relationship changed in Eastern Europe? Have there been special developments in that respect in the rest of the world? What about the plight of the written drama in Eastern/Central Europe: Has there been a give-and-take on par with the West? Or are the bulk of Eastern/Central European playwrights still behind a curtain and, if so, why? Has there been any substantial change in our reflection on theatre? Has education in theatre criticism, a unique trademark of the region's theatre landscape, turned out to be a mission impossible or, on the contrary, is it about to become a possible export?"

Larry Devine of ATCA's international committee will be the U.S. delegate in attendance at the Executive Committee meeting of the International Theatre Critics Association. [Gener]