Criticism as Conversation

Some theatregoers will have noticed a review of Fort Peck Summer Theatre’s new show in the Lifestyles section of this edition (Page 8A). Fewer still may have noticed my byline. In any case, it’s official: I’ll be your theatre critic for the season. Gwendolyne Honrud did a great job last year, but is pursuing greener pastures and the task is left to me.

I intend to let my writing on the subject speak for itself, but with this first attempt, it deserves mentioning that I’m actually an experienced critic in the wider world outside of Montana.

I came to Glasgow by way of Portland, Ore, and Prague, Czech Republic, where I was the principal film and theatre critic at both the Pulitzer Prize-winning Willamette Week and The Prague Post.

In Prague, I covered all English-language theatrical offerings for the entire country each week, including the largest open-air Shakespeare festival in Europe and the Prague Fringe Festival (one of the continent’s finest).

This isn’t to say I know more than anyone else about theatre, but it should be enough to introduce me as a commentator and allow me into the broader conversation about our renowned local company. If this first show of the season is any indication, it should be a good summer.