The Flip Side: Brutal Honesty
I’m someone who would much rather be honest all the time, including when what I have to say isn’t what someone wants to hear (sorry, but not everyone has the face for bangs). This way, when I have something nice to say, the recipient can be assured that my compliments are genuine.
Unfortunately, this approach gets tricky when I’m talking to an artist about his or her work. Artists put their hearts, souls, sweat, tears, and probably everything else they have into their performance or painting or film. Often for very little money, often working other jobs to fund their creative endeavours, often for little-to-no recognition. So when, as a spectator, I’m face-to-face with an artist post-show/exhibit/screening, thinking, “Well, shit… That wasn’t good,” what do I say? Do I stick with honesty? They say it’s the best policy, but in this situation, They (whoever They may be) could be wrong. Luckily for me, and for all of us facing this problem—because let’s face it, we’ve all been in this situation—Nina Metz for the Chicago Tribune took it upon herself to talk to theatre professionals and determine what the correct course of action is. Have a read.
In other news…
- Lauren Mooney may be my new favourite writer. She just nails it in this article about the pressure to bluff your way through theatre-centred conversations, and how this need to pretend to like and understand a piece of theatre, or a particular playwright, deters people from exploring and experiencing that very thing.
- I think I speak on behalf of all humans (at least those with a respect for theatre, TV, and literature) when I say… Why?
- American Theatre sat down with acclaimed director Kathleen Marshall in the lead-up to her upcoming new musical My Paris, based on the life of French artist Henri Toulouse-Lautrec.
- Playbill talks to this year’s Tony nominees about how it feels to be in competition with their co-stars for the coveted award.
- The Day Shall Declare It, an immersive theatre experience drawn from a number of Tennessee Williams short plays that’s garnered rave reviews in both LA and London, returns to its original LA theatre space for a limited run.
- Misha Berson for American Theatre writes a lovely piece on two of the leading men of the 2016 Broadway season.
- Ophelia Underwater, a new play by young writer Janielle Kastner, is premiering in Dallas. TheaterJones spoke with Kastner about her interpretation of the Shakespeare classic and why she’s chosen to explore the inner life of a teenage girl and the pressure society still puts on her, and on girls in general, to be “good.”
Hannah Antaki
Hannah works in casting, the only profession that allows her to truthfully use work as an excuse to stay home and watch TV. A dropout of both preschool and law school, she loves Montreal bagels, Harry Potter, and conversations about diversity. Her diet starts tomorrow.
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