Discuss the many roles of the theatre critic and cite an example of each

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A critic may serve as the interpreter of theatrical events, providing historical context or explaining their style. Martin Esslin, for example, coined the phrase "theatre of the absurd" to help audiences understand the new work by playwrights, such as Samuel Beckett and Eugène Ionesco, whose plays were unlike anything people had come to expect in the theatre. A critic can be an artistic muse and influence new theatrical styles. Jan Kott's book on Shakespeare, for example, inspired director Peter Brook to reinterpret and stage Shakespeare's play to speak to modern sensibilities. Some critics, like Antonin Artaud, are visionaries whose writing propels theatre in new directions. Avant-garde artists in the 1960s were heavily influenced by Artaud's work, years after his death. Artists sometimes take on the role of critic themselves, writing to explain their artistic intentions. Bertolt Brecht, for instance, wrote a great deal about his ideas on epic theatre. Finally, many playwrights have offered criticism from the stage. Molière, for example, used his short play The Critique of the School for Wives to answer the critics of one his earlier works.