The cast, director & writers of DON'T LET THE PIGEON DRIVE THE BUS! have appeared in 554 @washingtonpost articles. But, as @AmericanTheatre noted in 2016, the paper bans TYA reviews. So, the @kencen's world premiere next month will not get a WaPo review. americantheatre.org/2016/03/22/d-c…
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen Of course, Mo Willems' @kencen musical is already almost sold out, so why does getting a review matter? I think famed British theater critic Lyn Gardner explained it best in her essay for The Guardian in 2013 (see photo).
Link to article: theguardian.com/stage/theatreb…
cc: @TYA_USA
Link to article: theguardian.com/stage/theatreb…
cc: @TYA_USA
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA The @washingtonpost WILL review large musicals that some parents may want to bring their children to see. For example, when MATILDA opened on Broadway, WaPo made sure to send Peter Marks, its chief drama critic (and 4 time member of the Pulitzer Prize drama jury), up to see it.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA And when MATILDA briefly stopped in town during its National Tour, Peter Marks went back again and did another review so the DC theatergoing community could keep up on any differences from the original production he reviewed (he focused on acoustics this time).
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA And then when a local theater company happened to produce its own MATILDA, out went another @washingtonpost critic. 3 reviews (and counting) for a show that did not originate in DC and had only 1 local production.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA MATILDA's great, but it is NOT theater created FOR children. It is two hours and 40 minutes long. The staging, music, sets, stortytelling techniques etc. are indistinguishable from standard Broadway fare. It just happens to tell a story with kids in it.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA So, what is the difference between TYA and regular shows that might appeal to children? New York Times theater critic Alexis Soloski discovered the difference recently. She loved taking her daughter to see an Off-Broadway performance of Mo Willems' musical ELEPHANT & PIGGIE...
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA And, as Soloski explained in one of her New York Times articles, her daughter was fully engaged watching the Off-Broadway ELEPHANT & PIGGIE, even clapped along. However...
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA Soloski tried to replicate that experience by taking her daughter to see the famous Rockette's Christmas spectacular, but it was a disaster. Soloski writes: "Ada can’t say why she squirmed her way through the show." Well, it wasn't created for her daughter nytimes.com/2017/12/25/the…
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA Even when professional critics review professional TYA, it is almost never with the show's intended audience - school groups. Although most TYA theaters do weekend shows, Equity requires that most shows be during normal school hours. Audiences will be large school groups.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA How can a critic begin to judge whether a play has an impact on its intended audience if he or she doesn't attend a performance with that audience? A critic would never review a show by just attending a dress rehearsal, right?
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA It makes a HUGE difference. A while back I attended a school performance of LOOKING FOR ROBERTO CLEMENTE at @I_Stage. I took this audio recording of the school kids spontaneously calling out to a character who was getting kicked off a little league team because of her gender.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage The children at the @I_Stage show would NOT have had the same vocal response with their parents or grandparents sitting next to them during a weekend show. It would thus be nearly impossible for a critic attending that show to understand how the show as impacting them.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage But most don't really care about kids. While commenting on FROG & TOAD, the only TYA show to transfer in tact to Broadway, NYT culture reporter Robin Pogrebin wrote: "The true test of whether diversions intended for children are any good is whether we adults are diverted also.”
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage Is that the TRUE TEST? For a show created FOR children? I think too many reviewers think so. Almost every review of a show reviewers think is a children's show will contain that litmus test, either "gosh, adults will like it too" or "not my thing but kids may like it".
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage Take the reviews for @LTMusical, for example, which were rightly criticized for having been written by older critics who failed to connect with the show. Rick Riordan shared an article advocating cutting the critics out. But that's the wrong solution...
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical Top critics need to review plays written for children MORE OFTEN. Again, we need these critics to write about TYA so that TYA will be valued in our culture. And critics cannot judge how well shows are connecting with children unless they attend and analyze such shows FREQUENTLY.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical The Hollywood Reporter's review of Lightning Thief warned of an "infantilization of Broadway." First, it's not close to true. Lightning Thief is the only the second ever TYA show (albeit expanded) to appear on Broadway. And second, it would actually be GREAT if that were true.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical There is a huge theater market for children. Per the Broadway League, in the 17-18 season 2.1 million kids under 18 attended Broadway shows. Many of those, of course, were teens because there were no actual shows written FOR children on Broadway that season.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical But there are actually many millions more children who are seeing high quality, professional TYA at theaters across the country. And these are large regional theaters in their own right. @I_Stage's budget is more than $5M. @SCT_Seattle is over $6M. @ctcstage is over $11M.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage It would be a wonderful thing if top reviewers would recognize the contributions all of these outstanding professional Equity TYA theaters are making to our culture and, frankly, childhood as we know it in this country.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage I honestly think that top reviewers in this country have no genuine idea of what is happening in TYA. Part of the problem may actually trace back to the success of one specific children's theater company back in the 1960s.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage Prince Street Players, a theater company founded in So Ho (Manhattan), churned out 6 or 7 musicals in a couple years that they toured around the East Coast. The music and lyrics were okay, but they were straightforward adaptations of classics and production values were poor.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage The problem is, they got picked up and broadcast on network TV and presented as the "best of the best" of children's theater. Again, the shows were fine, but every show was written by the same person and done in the same style. It came to define children's theater.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage Here's an example from the TV broadcast of Prince Street Player's Jack and the Beanstalk. Jack sings goodbye to his cow Bessie.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage These TV broadcasts were well known, so it seems at least possible that Stephen Sondheim was parodying Prince Street Players' version of Jack and the Beanstalk at times in Into the Woods (like here).
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage Into the Woods, by the way, is another Broadway musical that reviewers assumed was supposed to be for children (because of the fairy tales), but its not. The show is famous for many parents paying full price for tickets but just leaving after the first act (a quasi-TYA experence)
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage When Frog and Toad transferred (for a short run) on Broadway, it was hailed as a new era for children's theater. When its producer @ctcstage (rightly) earned the Regional Tony the New York Times declared "IT is now safe for defenders of children's theater to leave the trenches."
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage But really, in terms of the cultural value leading critics assign to TYA, nothing has changed. These critics still think TYA includes Matilda and Lion King. And the only TYA they review are shows that happen to land Off Broadway (which are limited in number and style).
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage Because TYA is strongest in regional theaters (most outside of NY) it is understandably difficult for any one critic to see the best of the best in the field. But imagine if a top critic had attended school performances of some of the following shows...
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage 1) @BCT123org's production of @idrisgoodwin's exceptional stage play about the young life of Muhammad Ali, "And in this Corner: Cassius Clay"
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin 2) @DalChildrenThr's poignant production of Dwayne Hartford's (of @childsplayaz') brilliant adaptation of the THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz 3) @LalaTellsAStory's breathtaking (and educational) EARTHRISE at @kencen,
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory 4) @OrlandoREP stunningly beautiful production of @KarenZacarias6's inspiring (and Helen Hayes winning) adaptation of ELLA ENCHANTED,
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory @OrlandoREP @KarenZacarias6 5) @ChiChildTheatre world premiere production of WONDERLAND, ALICE'S ROCK & ROLL ADVENTURE,
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory @OrlandoREP @KarenZacarias6 @ChiChildTheatre 6) keeping with the rock theme, @SCT_Seattle's world premiere production of Mo Willems' NAKED MOLE RAT GETS DRESSED: THE ROCK EXPERIENCE!,
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory @OrlandoREP @KarenZacarias6 @ChiChildTheatre 7) @I_Stage's Helen Hayes winning production of the spine-tingling tale of WILEY AND THE HAIRY MAN,
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory @OrlandoREP @KarenZacarias6 @ChiChildTheatre 8) @ctcstage's world premiere of DIARY OF A WIMPY KID (which should have been their 2nd TYA show to transfer to Broadway, honestly),
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory @OrlandoREP @KarenZacarias6 @ChiChildTheatre 9) the @CoterieTheatre's utterly delightful production of Mo Willems' ELEPHANT & PIGGIE'S: WE ARE IN A PLAY!
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory @OrlandoREP @KarenZacarias6 @ChiChildTheatre @CoterieTheatre 10) @BACTheatre's all-female world premiere production of SHE PERSISTED (THE MUSICAL) (so unique in its portrayal of girls and women in a TYA musical it left audiences weeping uncontrollably at every performance),
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory @OrlandoREP @KarenZacarias6 @ChiChildTheatre @CoterieTheatre @BACTheatre 12) the absolutely dazzling display of puppetry in @NWCTweets's production of DINOSAURS!
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory @OrlandoREP @KarenZacarias6 @ChiChildTheatre @CoterieTheatre @BACTheatre @NWCTweets 13) Unspeakable's "The American Revolution" - an actor-devised TYA play, all performed on a 21 square foot platform (you have to see this one to believe it).
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory @OrlandoREP @KarenZacarias6 @ChiChildTheatre @CoterieTheatre @BACTheatre @NWCTweets I could go on and on and on because there are so many outstanding professional TYA theaters and so much good work being done. But back to the @washingtonpost. It is particularly sad that the top critics in DC do not review TYA there because DC is, in fact the top incubator of TYA
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory @OrlandoREP @KarenZacarias6 @ChiChildTheatre @CoterieTheatre @BACTheatre @NWCTweets A DC theater critic doesn't have to travel all around the country to see much of the most important work being done in TYA because it's right there. A recent study shows 3 of the 10 theaters whose work is most-produced elsewhere are in DC. How can they not be getting reviews?
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory @OrlandoREP @KarenZacarias6 @ChiChildTheatre @CoterieTheatre @BACTheatre @NWCTweets All that said, I do have to give credit to the outstanding work of the online review sites in covering DC TYA. @DC_theatrescene, @DCMTheaterArts and @MDTheatreGuide all do outstanding work. And @BroadwayWorld sometimes has good TYA reviews as well.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory @OrlandoREP @KarenZacarias6 @ChiChildTheatre @CoterieTheatre @BACTheatre @NWCTweets @DC_theatrescene @DCMTheaterArts @MDTheatreGuide @BroadwayWorld I also have to give credit to @AmericanTheatre, for its outstanding coverage of TYA. They, more than any other major publication, really capture the cultural importance of TYA in this country and show respect to the professionals who work in this field.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory @OrlandoREP @KarenZacarias6 @ChiChildTheatre @CoterieTheatre @BACTheatre @NWCTweets @DC_theatrescene @DCMTheaterArts @MDTheatreGuide @BroadwayWorld I suspect the quality of @AmericanTheatre's coverage of TYA is due in part to Rob Weinert-Kendt, the magazine's editor-in-chief. His 2014 New York Times article on Trusty Sidekick theater's immersive TYA performances shows true appreciation for TYA. nytimes.com/2014/10/10/the…
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory @OrlandoREP @KarenZacarias6 @ChiChildTheatre @CoterieTheatre @BACTheatre @NWCTweets @DC_theatrescene @DCMTheaterArts @MDTheatreGuide @BroadwayWorld I suspect that TYA theaters might not push to have their shows reviewed as much as other theaters as most of their tickets are sold before the shows even open (by way of school group reservations). The weekend/public shows end up not being as important.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory @OrlandoREP @KarenZacarias6 @ChiChildTheatre @CoterieTheatre @BACTheatre @NWCTweets @DC_theatrescene @DCMTheaterArts @MDTheatreGuide @BroadwayWorld But the art that TYA theaters are creating (often with the help of the same talented artists who are getting reviews for their non-TYA shows) is worthy of critical commentary and the cultural recognition that comes with that.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory @OrlandoREP @KarenZacarias6 @ChiChildTheatre @CoterieTheatre @BACTheatre @NWCTweets @DC_theatrescene @DCMTheaterArts @MDTheatreGuide @BroadwayWorld There is good TYA and bad TYA. And view TYA is good or not should be determined based on its impact on children (its actual target audience). In order to do that, top critics should invest the time to understand how these shows actually impact children.
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory @OrlandoREP @KarenZacarias6 @ChiChildTheatre @CoterieTheatre @BACTheatre @NWCTweets @DC_theatrescene @DCMTheaterArts @MDTheatreGuide @BroadwayWorld If critics don't want to invest the time, that's ok. But they should then acknowledge that choice & avoid making any broad statements about what children's theater is like. And they shouldn't rely only on their adult sensibilities to evaluate it, as happened with @LTMusical. /end
@washingtonpost @AmericanTheatre @kencen @TYA_USA @I_Stage @LTMusical @SCT_Seattle @ctcstage @BCT123org @idrisgoodwin @DalChildrenThr @childsplayaz @LalaTellsAStory @OrlandoREP @KarenZacarias6 @ChiChildTheatre @CoterieTheatre @BACTheatre @NWCTweets @DC_theatrescene @DCMTheaterArts @MDTheatreGuide @BroadwayWorld *a view as to whether TYA is good or not
P.S. I want to add another example of how I’ve seen children experience theater differently than adults. Take a young child to see Othello and if they made it to the final scene when Othello is about to kill Desdemona, they might see she is distressed but not feel true suspense.
But in productions of ELEPHANT & PIGGiE I’ve seen, as soon as Gerald asks to play with Piggie’s toy there is palpable tension in the theater. Parents are caught of guard as their kids suddenly cover their eyes or bury their heads. “Kill me to-morrow: let me live to-night!”
This is real. The kids are feeling true empathy with the performers. They know what is at risk (especially those who have read the book). And when Gerald throws that toy in the air the effect is not dissimilar from you or I seeing Othello grip Desdemona’s neck.
The toy breaks. Piggie gets mad and she and the Squirrelles let Gerald have it. It’s a cathartic moment - not unlike the maid Emilia’s speech to Othello: “O dolt! Thou as ignorant as dirt! Thou hast done a deed!
But, unlike Shakespeare, Mo Willems gives his young audiencememembers relief. The toy is SUPPOSED to break. Piggie feels foolish and asks for forgiveness, Gerald grants it. A real conflict, a real resolution, and a coping mechanism to work through a problem and keep a friend.
This is also done over the course of two songs so the theatricality is heightened even more. For the parents, it’s some fun music and clever business about a toy that is supposed to break. For young children, the live performance has caused a full range of emotions. /End P.S.
P.P.S. Let me clarify this tweet. If you think MATILDA is TYA it creates a bias. Anything written and produced on a lesser scale is perceived as children's theater on the cheap, instead of important & impactful theatrical storytelling in its own right /end
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