We’ve had some wonderful discussion about theater today regarding the Village Playhouse’s ersatz theater review published in the Post and Courier on Feb. 28.
In brief, the Playhouse bought ad space in the paper. It filled it with a review published on Lowcountry Stages, a website maintained independently by City Paper theater critic William Bryan. The Playhouse then made copies of the “review” and put them on display around the theater. (We scanned the newspaper page; you can see an image of it here.)
My argument was that this was deceptive. As I note in this post regarding my conversation with artistic director Keely Enright, I believe it when they said they did not intend to deceive. But the result is deceptive and the advertisement certainly give the appearance of deception (not to mention undermining the credibility of Will Bryan and that of City Paper). A serious theater company like the Village Playhouse ought to be concerned about even the possibility of the appearance of deception, but is evidently not.
And that has me concerned about the long-term future of the Playhouse.
This old news. What’s new is that this may be an opportunity to discuss what we in the media do and how and why we do it. Newspapers are still mysterious things to most people, especially to those invested in the stories we publish. Bottom line for us is trust. We don’t have anything if readers don’t trust us. So we fiercely protect our credibility and we do that by being transparent and honest. To that end, I asked Will Bryan to disclaim the following.
From William Bryan:
John Stoehr, my editor at Charleston City Paper, asked me to take a moment to describe what it is I do and my relationship the weekly paper.
First, some background: I am a professional theater critic and to my knowledge, the only member of the American Theater Critics Association (ATCA) writing in Charleston. I started in high school and that lead me to a scholarship in acting at the University of Alabama.
For various reasons I had to drop out of college and spent the next 20 years in the Navy. On retirement, and on taking a job in Washington, D.C., developing submarine training curricula, I returned to my love of theater and writing by working for Potomac Stages.
Reviewing in the D.C. area meant over the course of a year I reviewed dozens of shows, including Broadway, national touring productions, and professional, community and educational level shows. This led my mentor, Brad Hathaway, to support my membership into the ATCA, which is something I am very proud of, and which ensures I write reviews to the same high standards I learned in D.C.
My wife received a job offer here in Charleston last April that we just couldn’t pass up. So here we are, living on James Island and loving life in the Lowcountry. Of course, my love of theater moved with me and so I started Lowcountry Stages to continue my career in criticism.
In addition to writing a review for every show I see for Lowcountry Stages, Charleston City Paper will offer me assignments of various natures, usually relating to the theater.
As a professional critic, I write a different review for each publication, according to the standards of each, even if the review is about the same stage production. My reviews might read differently, but the tone is the same.
For the LCS reviews, I tend to focus more on the positive in a production. For reviews written for CCP, I am asked to provide both the positive and negative aspects of a performance. That doesn’t mean all of my CCP reviews are negative, nor that all of my LCS reviews are positive, but again, the tone remains the same, even if one might seem more harsh than the other.
When I submit my reviews to CCP, the editor, in this case John, comes up with the headline for the article. I do not always agree with them, but that is his job, and something I accept as a condition of publishing with the paper, as do all freelance writers.
Also, while I haven’t written reviews for the Post and Courier (I do feel their reviewers get far too little space to do an adequate job), I could do so if I chose, if I hadn’t already agreed to review the same show for City Paper. That’s what being a freelance critic means.
My goal as a critic for the region has always been to provide a consistent level of quality reviews so readers know that when they see my byline, whether at LCS or City Paper, they know it’s an honest and objective review written by a professional.
This is important to me for another reason: I have developed a relationship with theater company’s directors and managers in the region. They know I will be honest, impartial, and fair. They know that sometimes results in a less than glowing review. They also know I will sing the praises of the show if warranted.
I look forward to serving the theater patrons of the Lowcountry, whether they visit my website, read a review in print, or simply see the pull0quotes that theater companies use to advertise their productions.
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