BLOG: How To Properly Celebrate Winter

Everyone’s a Critic Last week on News and Notes we talked a bit about theatre criticism, and I ginned up a bit of nostalgia for a mythic bygone era in which at least one local critic was a an exemplar of his craft. I also talked a bit about the state of things today and mentioned one critic for the Wall Street Journal who admitted to bailing on shows at intermission rather frequently. For those of you theater professionals who are frothing mad over that article, you should know that this story in particular hasn’t gone away. For example, Ken Davenport, the New York-based theater producer who writes the popular blog The Producer’s Perspective, suggested that the confessing critic might want to give up her job "to someone who actually gives a sh@t." To be fair, there’s never been a time when theater professionals have particularly liked critics all that much (except when they’re slinging around 5-star reviews); and, to be even more fair, there have been times when I, as a theater professional who should have more sympathy, have exited a show at intermission (though, not with the surprising frequency that the critic in question, Joanne Kaufman, seems to). No matter who the critic is, though, we always find a way to question their methods and motives. I guess it helps soften the blow when we get a bad review, or when someone else gets a good one. Which brings me to an interesting email that some of you out there who run theater companies may have already received from a certain someone who runs a certain theater award ceremony in the Twin Cities. Hello theater representatives: A few weeks ago we held an information-gathering meeting for all of you who were interested in providing feedback for improvements to Ivey Awards work now that we have reached our 10 year milestone. Most of the discussion centered on the evaluation process and the desire by many to have the evaluations be more curated. As a result, we will attempt to have approximately half of the pool of evaluators be composed of theater professionals; (e.g. actors, technical professionals, stage managers and others), with the idea that these individuals may have a more educated approach to determining elements of productions that have merit… The Ivey Awards is holding the next training sessions for new and returning evaluators on Tuesday, January 27 and Tuesday, February 3, from 6 – 8 pm at the Children’s Theater in Minneapolis. You are required to only attend one of these sessions. As an evaluator, you will be required to attend and evaluate a minimum of five productions by the end of September, 2015. The tickets to the performances are complimentary so long as you follow evaluator guidelines… There is an interest in having half of the evaluators be theater professionals, so you are especially encouraged to participate. If you can attend one of these sessions, please send an email to [email protected] and indicate which session you will be attending by no later than Saturday, December 20. So, there you go, theater people of the Twin Cities. No longer can you sit on the sidelines and complain that people who don’t know anything about theater decide who gets the awards for theater. You’re being called in from the cold. It’s now your sacred duty to get in there and show them how reviewing is done. You know, as long as you’re "someone who actually gives a sh@t." Some Kind of Winter Holiday Celebration Despite the weirdly warm weather, the explosion of tacky lawn displays tells me that it’s now the holiday season, which means that someone out there right now is having an aneurysm because I didn’t just say “Christmas season.” And that’s OK, Mr. Aneurysm. You can still pretend that a fat, bearded man is going to break into your house on a particular night because of Jesus. (Heck, in Florida that can happen on any random Thursday.) It’s alright for you to keep Christmas for yourself and let the atheists celebrate the holidays in their own way. For example, at Atheist Christmas, Charles Darwin climbs down your chimney and gives you a random mutation that has a remote chance of improving your survival and/or breeding prospects. Last year, I got gill slits. Everyone’s got their own thing when it comes to whatever solstice-adjacent winter holiday they celebrate. Some people give gifts. If you’re making your performing arts wishlist right about now, maybe Twin Cities Daily Planet has a few ideas for you. (However, when you’re buying a theater gift for the kids, just make sure you don’t accidentally give them porn.) Other people like going to see Christmas-themed shows, even though many of them already have movie equivalents that are easier to view from the comfort of your own home. Some people use this time to sit and reflect on the year that’s gone past. John Townsend at Lavender Magazine has already released his Theater Year in Review list, which I’m sure will be followed by many others in the next few weeks. Still others like to look to the future, when the world will be warmer and greener and less obviously trying to kill you. If summer can’t come fast enough for you, then you should know that applications for the Fringe Festival are open as are applications for Northern Spark. But instead of looking to the past or future to get you through the bleak, barren tundra that our cities are soon to become, why not look to the here and now. At least, that’s what the powers that be here at Minnesota Playlist are asking you to do. Next month, during what is traditionally the worst part of winter and the absolute depths of my seasonal affective disorder, Playlist will be throwing a big Winter Bash to celebrate the grand launch of our newly-designed website, and you’re invited. And if you’re one of the talented, hip and, frankly, quite stunning people who gave us money during that Indiegogo campaign that helped pay for the redesign, you get in for free. So come on out and punch winter in the face. In the meantime, please enjoy these festive holiday cards from the last people you would expect: Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol and John Waters.