Theater Criticism/Arts Journalism Primer

Bob Abelman (PhD, The University of Texas-Austin) is a Distinguished Professor of Communication at Cleveland State University where he teaches arts journalism and media criticism. He is also an award-winning theater critic for the daily News-Herald, a produced playwright, and a former professional actor with New York credits. He was a 2010 National Endowment for the Arts fellow in Arts Journalism and is the recipient of three Excellence in Research awards from The International Mensa Education and Research Foundation for his work on media/arts literacy and artistic giftedness.Cheryl Kushner (MA, Kent State University) is Assistant Professor at Kent State University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is a former entertainment editor at The Plain Dealer, as well as New York’s Newsday, where she directed coverage resulting in a 2002 Pulitzer Prize for criticism. She was a fellow with the National Arts Journalism Program, where she studied theater and creative writing at Northwestern University. Ms. Kushner is also the author of four romance/women’s fiction novels.

«Bob Abelman and Cheryl Kushner’s accessible and information-rich primer is useful to beginners eager to develop their critical voices. It’s also worthwhile to those of us who have been practicing criticism for years but need to recall the basics: Why we write criticism, how to do it well, and why it matters.matters.» (David Cote, Theater Editor and Chief Drama Critic, Time Out New York)«The authors’ passion and obsession are what make this book invaluable.» (Sasha Anawalt, Director, Arts Journalism Programs, USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism)«Refereeing the Muses provides an element-by-element analysis of what goes into constructing an artful, journalistically sound review. The book’s insights into how critics prepare and then react to a work of art are valid and valuable. The authors also acknowledge that the best criticism, like the work it analyzes, requires creativity.» (Christine Dolen, Theater Critic, The Miami Herald) «The art and practice of criticism is undergoing fundamental change. Before we figure out where it’s going we have to understand what it’s been and how it’s been done. ‘Refereeing the Muses’ is a valuable and compelling place from which to start.» (Douglas McLennan, Editor, ArtsJournal.com)«Bob Abelman and Cheryl Kushner have delivered a book of remarkable clarity, a detailed survey and breakdown of critic-craft that’s granular without ever getting grainy. Even if we end up living in that much-feared near-future where ‘Everyone’s a Critic’, ‘Refereeing the Muses’ will be required reading for every drive-by Twitterer and citizen-kvetcher.» (Scott Brown, Theater Critic, New York Magazine)«As one who has been heralded and eviscerated in reviews, I can only hope that both critics and artists take the time to truly digest the insightful information in this book – to more fully understand not only where the ideals of criticism come from, but where critics fit in today’s theatrical ecosystem.» (Eric Coble, Playwright (‘Bright Ideas’, ‘The Velocity of Autumn’))

• Contents: The Arts at Arm’s Length – Criticizing the Arts, or Not – The Critic – Critical Thinking – The Evolution of Criticism: From Dramatic to Theater – The Evolution of Theater Criticism: The Modern Era – Storytelling Conventions – The Storytell ers – Prelude to a Critique – Writing a Critique – Deconstruction of a Critique.