criticism Archives

The Great Acting Blog: “It Seemed So To Him”

22.09.2014 , The Great Acting Blog , 0 Comments

Some people only hear what they want to hear. Some people only see what they want to see. We tend to respond to a work via the prism of our own value system: a scene could be hilariously funny for one person, but utterly obscene...

The Great Acting Blog: “The Perfect Storm Of Meaninglessness”

31.05.2014 , The Great Acting Blog , 0 Comments

There can be myriad responses to our work, good and bad and indifferent. We cannot then, be swayed by each one we encounter, we cannot strive to meet each response. If we did, we would betray our work during the ensuing flux, we would forget...

The Great Acting Blog: “Dreaming Of A Rigorous Creative Task”

28.05.2014 , The Great Acting Blog , 1 Comment

Harold Pinter's The Homecoming is one of my favourite plays and I have longed to play the part of Lenny and have a crack at his magnificent speeches. Last night however, I had a dream in which I was to stage the play. But I...

The Great Acting Blog: “Why Criticism Is Positive”

26.02.2014 , The Great Acting Blog , 13 Comments

If a production was insipid or the actors incompetent, why pretend otherwise? We live in an age where we're supposed to be "positive", and criticism is seen as snarky and negative. But I see nothing wrong with intelligent, precise and genuine criticism. Infact, it is a...

The Great Acting Blog: “Bad Criticism Is Catastrophic”

19.12.2013 , The Great Acting Blog , 0 Comments

I read a piece on Peter O'Toole recently that was so feeble in it's explanation of the actor's talent, that I've decided to single it out as indicative of the lack of understanding and appreciation of acting in general, and a lack of critical tools...

The Great Acting Blog: “Being Bullet-Proof To Criticism”

12.11.2013 , The Great Acting Blog , 0 Comments

If somebody says they hate a piece of work of yours, that doesn't necessarily mean they hate everything you've ever done or will do. It just means that they hated that certain piece of work. Most people would give your work another chance in future....

The Great Acting Blog: “Make Some Noise About Actors You Admire”

30.09.2013 , The Great Acting Blog , 1 Comment

It seems some performances are praised to the rafters by the mainstream press, when often I think the acting in question is false and self-conscious. Other performances however, are a model of truth and simplicity and generosity, and yet are almost universally ignored. It...

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