Yun-Cheol Kim[1]
In this edition of our journal we interview theatre artists on the topic of ‘Theatre Criticism As It should Be in the Near Future.’ We critics have contributed a lot of essays on criticism for the past nine issues of Critical Stages, and I focus in this particular edition on “practitioners on criticism.” Theatre practitioners are among our most ardent readers, and their ideas on criticism should also be listened to carefully by we critics, just as we wish them to pay close attention to our reviews.
I confess that it is Peter Brook’s comments on “deadly critics” in his great book The Empty Space that have most influenced me in my career as theatre critic. I have taken his comments as the guidelines of my professional practice. I hope that some critics, at least, find similar insights and wisdom from our interviewees in this issue.
I thank all participants in this important project for their wonderful, insightful, practical and philosophical comments on criticism. I hope the interviews published here will prove to be a great starting point for dialogue about theatre and criticism between critics and practitioners.
[1] Yun-Cheol Kim is President of IATC; Artistic Director of National Theater Company of Korea; recipient of the Cultural Order of Korea; Professor at the School of Drama, Korea National University of Arts; editor-in-chief of Critical Stages. Two-time winner of the “Critic of the Year Award,” he has published ten books so far, two of which are anthologies of theatre reviews.
