{"id":194,"date":"2020-12-11T07:09:14","date_gmt":"2020-12-11T07:09:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/?p=194"},"modified":"2026-06-22T10:28:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T10:28:44","slug":"arts-journalism-and-theatre-in-the-pandemic-era-mutations-redefinitions-and-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/arts-journalism-and-theatre-in-the-pandemic-era-mutations-redefinitions-and-challenges\/","title":{"rendered":"Arts Journalism and Theatre in the Pandemic Era: Mutations, Redefinitions and Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Zoe Ververopoulou<\/strong>*<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abstract<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

This paper seeks to explore the new landscape that has emerged during the period of the so-called \u201ccorona crisis\u201d within arts (cultural) journalism, focusing specifically on theatre reporting and theatre reviewing. Drawing examples from the Greek and international print and online media, I aim to show the extent to which the sudden pause of artistic life and the rules of social distancing have reshaped not only the contents, formats and genres of journalistic writing for the arts, but also the very essence of the notion of cultural event and cultural news. The paper will consider the importance of the role of theatre journalists and critics in identifying and highlighting urgent issues within the arts in the context of the pandemic. It will also explore the new challenges that have emerged during (and, indeed, as a consequence of) the pandemic. Finally, it will ask if the changes in media coverage of the arts are only temporary, or if arts journalism is entering a new era.
Keywords<\/strong>: arts journalism, cultural journalism, theatre, pandemic, theatre journalist, theatre critic<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For anyone interested in contemporary cultural life, media coverage of the arts provides a vital source of information and knowledge. This statement gains in importance when it comes to times of crisis: indeed, since the outbreak of the coronavirus until now, where else has such an amount of reference material about the overwhelming changes in the culture sector been systematically and consistently gathered? Given that prominent voices in popular social media cannot guarantee accuracy or a professional treatment of facts, who, then, is authorized or better equipped to report contemporaneously <\/em>and discuss the current situation in the field of culture than arts journalists?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this article seeks not only to emphasize the role of specialized journalism in chronicling arts in the age of social distancing, but also aims to show how the global health crisis has reshaped the contents, formats and genres of arts writing, destabilizing arts journalists routines, shaking their certainties and forcing them to adjust to new working conditions, practices and priorities. In comparison to other areas of cultural reporting (books, films, art exhibitions, music), theatre journalism seems to have undergone the deepest transformations; recent examples drawn from the Greek and international print and online media tend to confirm this statement. Before proceeding further, though, we need to specify the term \u201carts journalism\u201d as it is the key concept in our analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the basic definition, arts or cultural journalism is a specific area of journalistic practice covering products of cultural or creative industries (Skulte 41). Evolving \u201cin a heterogeneous zone of media, genres and products which encompasses the production, circulation and consumption of symbolic goods,\u201d it \u201cdynamizes and documents the artistic and cultural \ufb01eld, in\ufb02uences the formation of audiences and provides parameters for the interpretation of culture at a certain place and time\u201d (Golin and Cardoso 69). Pointing out the broad approach to culture that characterizes contemporary media, Kristensen (69, 73) prefers the term \u201cjournalism on culture,\u201d which she defines as \u201ca continuum between art, popular culture, lifestyle and consumption.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a sociological perspective, the field of cultural production is understood as a network of synergies, interactions and power relations, involving a variety of actors and institutions with different positions and degrees of influence on artworlds (Bourdieu 1979, 1992; Golin and Cardoso 76). Within this complex and highly competitive ecosystem of cultural intermediaries, arts journalists operate as key agents who intervene and circulate between the production and the reception of cultural goods, assisting in the transfer of knowledge and expertise (Hutchinson 58), supporting the visibility of new trends and contributing to the legitimation of artefacts as culture (Skulte 43; Golin and Cardoso 81).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As makers of meaning and shapers of taste, who construct value by framing how others engage with art, arts journalists also seek to multiply the symbolic and material value of a work (or of an artist) and to convince the public of this value; in other words, they serve as market actors, promoting consumption and mediating between economy and culture (Maguire and Matthews 551\u201352). In practice, these functions are enabled through the two main categories of journalistic writing: news and opinion (Voirol 41), translated in the case of cultural journalism as arts reporting and arts reviewing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Greece, the first sign that arts coverage was entering a new phase appeared in the press a few days before the total lockdown was announced. It was a discreetly ominous note in the Sunday arts supplement of a broadsheet newspaper (Kathimerini<\/em>), explaining why the usual list of upcoming events was missing: due to the emergency measures imposed by the government to protect public health, all cultural events had been postponed indefinitely.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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The empty venue Vassilikon [Royal] Theatre and the set of The Magnificent Cuckold<\/em> by Fernand Crommelynck, just after lockdown announcement in Greece (March 2020). Directed by Ioanna Tsichli. National Theatre of Northern Greece. Photo: Tassos Thomoglou<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It was suddenly clear that, under the new circumstances, mass scale events, especially those in theatre and the performing arts, could not meet the public health requirements. This abrupt, almost global loss of \u201cliveness\u201d (Auslander) in cultural life soon made arts journalism a collateral victim. With cinemas, museums, galleries and theatres closed, one of the most common types of text in arts journalism, the cultural events guide, all but disappeared. But not for long. Anti-guides became rapidly popular in art sections, testifying to the domino of cancellations triggered by the pandemic (\u201cA List of Canceled, Changed, or Postponed Arts Events,\u201d The Boston Globe<\/em>, 11\/3\/2020; \u201cA List of What\u2019s Been Canceled Because of the Coronavirus,\u201d The New York Times<\/em>, 1\/4\/2020; \u201cConcerts, sorties de films et foires d\u2019art: la liste des annulations et des reports dus au coronavirus,\u201d Le Monde<\/em>, 4\/3\/2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Encountering this unprecedented artistic vacuum, theatre journalists have been struggling to keep cultural coverage alive. Initially they dealt with the situation by either getting story ideas from the pre-pandemic world or attempting in their articles to describe the recent developments. Arts pages of this period are accurate in capturing a puzzling and unfamiliar reality; with no access to the stage, theatre urgently needed new points of reference. Alternative, mostly technology-mediated, modes of expression were soon tried out, offering a temporary antidote t\u03bf the threat of artistic stagnation, while virtual means of reception transformed spectators into users\/viewers. \u201cBillions of people are turning to culture as a source of comfort, well-being and connection\u201d (UNESCO), impelling not only the theatre but every art form to move online. Remote audiences seemed to expand, developing a strong interest in open web sources, including events, performances, art exhibitions tours, e-books, audio-books, concerts and other artistic forms. Cultural institutions and artists were hesitant at first, but they gradually released or provided on demand more and more online content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As these upheavals rendered traditional cultural reporting and reviewing almost impossible worldwide, an old, elementary journalistic question was raised anew: how should a \u201ccultural\/artistic event\u201d be currently defined? What precisely can be perceived as such in times of generalized confinement? Or worse, does it even exist? And how are journalists supposed to accomplish their mission as cultural intermediaries when there is nothing between artists and consumers to mediate? Finally, is cultural journalism facing an unexpected problem of viability?<\/p>\n\n\n

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Empty venues during the lockdown in Greece. Theatre of the Society for Macedonian Studies, National Theatre of Northern Greece. Photo: Tassos Thomoglou<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

At the first stage of the crisis, it was the notion of non-event (postponements and cancellations) that dominated the cultural news (\u201cChina: Coronavirus Freezes Cultural Life<\/a>,\u201d 30\/1\/20; \u201cOld Vic becomes first London theatre to cancel performances as Endgame<\/em> closes early amid coronavirus outbreak,\u201d London Evening Standard<\/em>, 16\/32\/20; \u201cAvignon, Eurock\u00e9ennes, Francofolies… les annulations de festival se multiplient,\u201d Le Monde<\/em>, 14\/4\/2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortly afterwards, when there was nothing left to be cancelled, a different form of factuality, parallel to reality, began to emerge. Dissociated from the spatiotemporal references of the live presence, cultural life drew its timeliness exclusively from the digital world. Art guides were reborn listing live-streamed plays available online; the theatre journalist\u2019s vocabulary adapted to the situation (\u201cdigital premiere\u201d, \u201cfree screenings,\u201d \u201cfrom stage to screen,\u201d \u201ctheatre at home,\u201d \u201cZoom  performance\u201d) and reporting covered topics such as broadcasting of monologues on Facebook or Twitter pages, online theatre and dance workshops, original short plays written and shot in isolation, etc. (\u201cThe Homebound Project\u2019s Original Plays, Performed in Isolation,\u201d  The New Yorker<\/em>, 29\/5\/2020). Artistic and especially theatre events were now understood exclusively in their dematerialized, virtual versions; this surrogate regime of cultural production not only raised important theoretical issues and concerns about the performing arts, but also marked a second phase and a significant shift in the selection and treatment of cultural information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Special art sub-sections made their appearance in newspapers and websites, introducing and codifying the new normal in the field of culture (\u201cLockdown Culture\u201d and \u201cCulture in Peril,\u201d both in The Guardian<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artists and celebrities who have tested positive for the coronavirus or have died from it have become a very popular topic in culture pages, proving to fans and the public the importance of self-isolating. The pedagogical role of cultural journalism (Skulte 44) has been, at a very concrete level, confirmed (\u201cTom Hanks and Rita Wilson Test Positive for Coronavirus,\u201d Los Angeles Times<\/em>, 11\/3\/2020; \u201cAll the Celebrities Who Have Tested Positive for the Coronavirus,\u201d Vulture<\/em>, 19\/9\/20).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The balance between news and opinion arts writing has changed: if the former was limited to topics that journalists could handle working from home, the latter has gained space as it does n\u03bft necessarily require the on-site presence of the writer. Columnists covering culture, artists, critics and academics have engaged in an open dialogue in order to analyze and interpret the crisis in society and artworlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has been a considerable increase in interviews with actors and directors: the format can generate original journalistic material, offering first-hand information, reactions and ideas about the impact of the pandemic on artistic practice. More and more often, art sections have hosted short autobiographical accounts, where artists and playwrights unfold their own experience of self-isolation as invited columnists, recontextualizing and reactivating the old text type of diaries (\u201cLockdown diaries,\u201d \u201cTheatre diaries in quarantine,\u201d \u201cCovid-19 diaries,\u201d  and so on). Non-conventional interview forms, such as multimedia testimonies or homemade videos and podcasts, have become official news stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something seems to be changing in the public discourse of theatre artists: they have become more introspective, adopting confessional and contemplative tones that transcend the artists\u2019 fears of professional destabilization, suggesting a transformation in how they conceive of their position in society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another notable aspect of arts journalism during the pandemic is that social media users not only share already published news and opinion pieces, but also produce cultural contents that serve as an information pool for several official media. This is not completely new phenomenon, but has grown significantly in the era of Covid. We could talk, perhaps, about a particularly active form of citizens\u2019 cultural journalism, encouraged, fostered and legitimized by the lockdown conditions; the boundaries between professional producers and consumers of art news (artists, audiences and journalists) tend to be eliminated, engaging them in an intensive process of mutual exchange. A striking example of this participatory effort is the Greek actor and theatre director Argyris Xafis, who, via his Facebook posts and during the whole period of self-isolation, has systematically shared interesting theatre news and daily lists (the result of his personal research) which notify readers of the best theatre and dance shows\/performances (from Greece and abroad) available online. These lists functioned as a credible source of information for lots of professional arts journalists who reproduced his material. In fact, Xafis has contributed to the public debate about the crucial situation in the field of theatre, practicing a sort of investigative, international micro-reporting in a purely digital environment and with the assiduity of a professional arts writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Media headlines have concisely outlined every next stage of the crisis in the cultural field. Scanning through these headlines reveals that theatre and performing arts topics tend to be structured around two major thematic axes (which often interweave): a) existential crisis in theatre, ontological and aesthetic issues; b) socio-economic implications of the pandemic for the theatre sector and for individual artists. At the present moment\u2014a post-lockdown but not post-pandemic period in numerous countries\u2014arts journalists report extensively on the reopening of theatres, focusing on the politics, policies and practices of this difficult return: \u201cUK theatres, on \u2018brink of ruin\u2019, criticise government reopening plan<\/a>,\u201d 27\/6\/2020; \u201cTheatre Sector Welcomes Progress on Reopening but Pushes for More,\u201d The Stage<\/em>, 14\/8\/2020; \u201cWhat the Coronavirus Pandemic Means for the Future of Broadway,\u201d The New Yorker<\/em>, 24\/8\/2020; \u201cFor Greece\u2019s Theatres, the Coronavirus is a Tragedy,\u201d The<\/em> New York Times<\/em>, 30\/7\/2020; \u201cAustralian Theatres Nervously Reopen with Mandatory Masks and Temperature Checks,\u201d The Guardian<\/em>, 24\/8\/2020. During this same period, journalistic discourse seems haunted by a recurring metaphor: that of theatre as the most heavily hit \u201cpatient\u201d of Covid-19, attempting desperately to \u201crecover\u201d in the midst of a complex, unusual and still very uncertain global moment.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Theatre life comes back:  Taksiarchis Chanos, Christos Stergioglou and the director Giannis Rigas: Rehearsals for The Birds<\/em> by Aristophanes, Summer production 2020, National Theatre of Northern Greece. Photo: Tassos Thomoglou<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

With all stage productions being suspended and theatre reviewing in pause mode, theatre critics have found themselves forced to reconsider the nature and the principles of their work. The problem is not just how to compensate for the absence of reviews and to ensure that communication channels with readers and theatre audiences remain open. Confronted with unannounced changes in their traditional role as experts and cultural gatekeepers who evaluate and recommend new theatre products (Glynn and Lounsbury 1035), many critics initially confessed  that they were experiencing the absence of cultural life as trauma, and that they were anxious about the present and the future of theatre. However, they soon sharpened their responsiveness to the violently changed landscape and reoriented their columns towards a more theoretical level of reflection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Realizing that they have to move beyond fixed patterns of thinking, they try to understand, to ascribe meaning to the incoherent, to redefine contexts, and, then, to provide a clearer view on these complicated cultural developments. Insightful analyses and thought-provoking interpretations have enriched print and online art pages, suggesting new conceptual frames for the current realities, producing stimulating ideas (what interesting raw material for future theatre researchers!), opening perspectives, predicting, discussing broader theatre issues. That\u2019s how a crisis can turn into a very creative moment for critics, who seem to be particularly needed in times of cultural mutations. Catching the zeitgeist and deciphering the cultural chaos have become their most urgent challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Critical activity moves to the next phase, when the first professional reviews for online experiences (live-streamed performances, Zoom editions of plays, interactive and immersive virtual theatre and other events) make their appearance (\u201c\u2018Work From Home\u2019 Review\u2013Audiences Become Actors in Witty Zoom Show,\u201d The Guardian<\/em>, 26\/6\/2020; \u201c\u2018A Killer Party\u2019 Review: The Case of the Online Musical,\u201d New York Times<\/em>, 6\/8\/2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This shift in reviewing practices confirms the critic\u2019s contribution to the \u201cinstitutional regulation of innovation\u201d (Hirsch 643) and mediates audience\u2019s attitudes towards digital forms of theatre and their reception. But as liveness timidly returns through socially distanced and outdoor performances, several critics sound impatient to go back to \u201cnormal.\u201d The question is: will theatre criticism ever be the same again under the weight of accumulated experience gained during the health crisis?<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Social distancing on the stage. The Trojan Women<\/em> by Euripides. Directed by Giannis Paraskevopoulos. Summer production 2020, National Theatre of Northern Greece. Photo: Tassos Thomoglou<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
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Masks and distances for the audience. The Birds<\/em> by Aristophanes. Directed by Giannis Rigas. Summer production 2020, National Theatre of Northern Greece. Photo: Tassos Thomoglou<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In conclusion, with the ongoing pandemic, arts and especially theatre journalism tends to mutate fast and to reinvent itself, while developing the documentary narrative of the socio-cultural crisis as an archive in progress. Restrictive measures and the arts shutdown have affected not only reporting and reviewing procedures across the globe, but also the very essence of the notion of the cultural event and cultural news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To chart and assess instantly a fluid and multidimensional landscape has proven to be a difficult task for journalists and critics, whose adaptability, professional reflexes and competencies are now profoundly challenged. They no longer have to report and comment on simple events; they have to identify urgent art issues, to explore atypical phenomena, to elaborate new definitions of culture, to produce culture. What journalism historians will later probably name \u201ccultural journalism of the pandemic\u201d (or perhaps \u201cpandemic cultural journalism\u201d) has already taken shape and is still evolving. What remains to be answered in the future is whether media coverage of the arts is only temporarily changing or definitely entering a new era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bibliography<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Auslander, Philip. Liveness: Performance in a Mediatized Culture<\/em>. Routledge, 2008.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bourdieu, Pierre. La Distinction. Critique sociale du jugement<\/em>. Minuit, 1979.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014. Les R\u00e8gles de l’art. Gen\u00e8se et structure du champ litt\u00e9raire<\/em>. Seuil, 1992.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glynn, Mary Ann, and Michael Lounsbury. \u201cFrom the Critics\u2019 Corner: Logic Blending, Discursive Change and Authenticity in a Cultural Production System.\u201d Journal of Management Studies<\/em>, vol. 42, no. 5, 2005, pp. 1031\u201355.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Golin, Cida, and Everton Cardoso. \u201cCultural Journalism in Brazil: Academic Research, Visibility, Mediation and News Values.\u201d Journalism<\/em>, vol. 10, no. 1, 2009, pp. 69\u201389.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hirsch, Paul M. \u201cProcessing Fads and Fashions: An Organization Set Analysis of Cultural Industry Systems.\u201d American Journal of Sociology<\/em>, vol. 77, no. 4, 1972, pp. 639\u201359.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hutchinson, Jonathon. Cultural Intermediaries: Audience Participation in Media Organisations<\/em>. Palgrave Macmillan, 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kathimerini<\/em>, 15 Mar. 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kristensen, Nete N\u00f8rgaard. \u201cThe Historical Transformation of Cultural Journalism.\u201d Northern Lights<\/em>, vol. 8, no. 1, 2010, pp. 69\u201392.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maguire, Jennifer Smith, and Julian Matthews. \u201cAre We All Cultural Intermediaries Now? An Introduction to Cultural Intermediaries in Context.\u201d European Journal of Cultural Studies<\/em>, vol. 15, no. 5, 2012, pp. 551\u201362.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skulte, Ilva. \u201cThe Concept of Cultural Journalism:  What the Editors in Latvia Think They Do When Doing Cultural Journalism.\u201d Journalism Research<\/em>, vol. 8, 2015, pp. 38\u201369.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Voirol, Michel. Guide de la r\u00e9daction<\/em>. CFPJ, 1993.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UNESCO. \u201cCulture and COVID-19. Impact and Response Tracker<\/a>.\u201d UNESCO,<\/em> no. 2,  22 Apr. 2020, Accessed 30 Aug. 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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*<\/a>Zoe Ververopoulou<\/strong> has a PhD in Theatre Studies. She is Assistant Professor at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. Her research and publications focus on theatre theory and criticism, documentary theatre, arts\/theatre journalism, intersections between theatre, journalism and literary studies. She is also a theatre critic, member of the Hellenic Association of Theatre and Performing Arts Critics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Copyright \u00a9<\/strong> 2020 Zoe Ververopoulou
Critical Stages\/Sc\u00e8nes critiques<\/em> e-ISSN: 2409-7411<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Creative<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This work is licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution International License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":199,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-special-topic"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/10\/image5-1.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":536,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/mission-im-possible-in-search-of-identity-and-the-aesthetics-of-hong-kong-contemporary-theatre\/","url_meta":{"origin":194,"position":0},"title":"Mission Im\/possible: In Search of Identity and the Aesthetics of Hong Kong Contemporary Theatre","author":"Zoe Ververopoulou","date":"November 30, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Bernice Kwok-wai Chan* Abstract Hong Kong, a borrowed place where her stories are always narrated by others. Theatre, a mediated platform where theatre makers look for ways to voice out their concerns and at the same time, audiences who expect to hear resonance of their lives and times. Theatre makers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "National Reports"","block_context":{"text":"National Reports","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/category\/national-reports\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/image5-5.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/image5-5.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/image5-5.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/image5-5.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1053,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/note-from-the-editors\/","url_meta":{"origin":194,"position":1},"title":"Note from the Editors","author":"Zoe Ververopoulou","date":"January 29, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Diana Damian Martin,* Anette Therese Pettersen,** Rui Pina Coelho*** This special issue of the section \u201cCritics on Criticism\u201d is a collaboratively edited collection of essays and reflections on theatre and performance criticism for and by young audiences. In our call for papers, we articulated theatre and performance as places of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Critics on Criticism"","block_context":{"text":"Critics on Criticism","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/category\/critics-on-criticism\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2021\/01\/image3-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2021\/01\/image3-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2021\/01\/image3-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2021\/01\/image3-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":360,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/kapila-vatsyayan-and-the-iatc-thalia-prize\/","url_meta":{"origin":194,"position":2},"title":"Kapila Vatsyayan and the IATC Thalia Prize","author":"Zoe Ververopoulou","date":"November 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Margareta S\u00f6renson* Kapila Vatsyayan. Photo: Wikipedia The Thalia Prize of the International Association of Theatre Critics is a fairly young award. When it was created, it was intended to be a special prize for critics, for someone who, in his or her own writings on theatre and the performing arts,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "In Memoriam"","block_context":{"text":"In Memoriam","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/category\/in-memoriam\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/image4.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/image4.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/image4.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/image4.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":905,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/editors-comment-theatre-criticism-the-day-after\/","url_meta":{"origin":194,"position":3},"title":"Editors\u2019 Comment: Theatre (Criticism) the Day After","author":"Zoe Ververopoulou","date":"December 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Yana Meerzon,* Savas Patsalidis,** Aisling Murphy*** Pandemic: from the Greek \u201c\u03c0\u03b1\u03bd=all\u201d and \u201c\u03b4\u03ae\u03bc\u03bf\u03c2=people\u201d: something which spreads widely, affecting all people.\u00a0 In just ten months the world has changed. New words have come to dominate our daily lives: \u201clockdown,\u201d \u201csocial isolation,\u201d \u201cself-quarantine,\u201d \u201csocial distancing,\u201d \u201cend of humanism,\u201d \u201cstay safe,\u201d \u201conline theatre.\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Special Topic"","block_context":{"text":"Special Topic","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/category\/special-topic\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/image3-6.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/image3-6.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/image3-6.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/image3-6.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":368,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/kapila-vatsyayan-a-legend-of-indian-culture\/","url_meta":{"origin":194,"position":4},"title":"Kapila Vatsyayan: A Legend of Indian Culture","author":"Zoe Ververopoulou","date":"November 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Ravi Chaturvedi* The recent death of Thalia laureate and renowned dance scholar Kapila Vatsyayan at the age of 92 has left the cultural community in both India and the larger world in deep sorrow. Through her many published contributions, Dance\u2014the soul of Indian culture\u2014was given a meaningful, realistic and holistic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "In Memoriam"","block_context":{"text":"In Memoriam","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/category\/in-memoriam\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/Kapilavatsyayan.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/Kapilavatsyayan.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/Kapilavatsyayan.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/11\/Kapilavatsyayan.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":656,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/united-kingdom\/","url_meta":{"origin":194,"position":5},"title":"United Kingdom","author":"Zoe Ververopoulou","date":"December 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The U.K. has one of the most established and supportive playwriting cultures among the countries we surveyed. Despite English-language authors being among the most translated in every other country, British theatre does quite badly at making space for foreign-language authors. One of the key strengths of the U.K. system on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fabulamundi Workbook"","block_context":{"text":"Fabulamundi Workbook","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/category\/fabulamundi-workbook\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/image35.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/image35.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/image35.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2020\/12\/image35.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1762,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194\/revisions\/1762"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/22\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}