Today I wanted to feature this guest post, originally published as a note on Facebook from local theater actor Patrick White, wherein he takes Metroland and other local publications to task for its coverage, or lack thereof, of the local theater scene.

I’m posting not just because I’m a former stage actor myself who saw firsthand the practices Patrick lays out, but as someone who thinks that what constitutes Arts coverage as a whole in this area could stand some improvement.

With that, a word from Patrick.

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Last year as I was looking at Metroland (The Capital Region’s Alternative Newsweekly)’s 10 best list of theater I was struck by the tought “Did he even review 10 productions last year? Did the paper?” So this year I counted. I didn’t save the issues or count the reviewers (at least 5) because it wasn’t until June I realized just how poor the paper’s performance was. Not dealing with content or intent, just the number of reviews from where.

There have been 30 issues of Metroland this year without a theater review. There have been 9 productions reviewed within 30 miles of their office. There were 28 productions reviewed over 22 issues, 17 of those were in the summer. By my (possibly inexact) count there were 18 productions from the Berkshires reviewed. Again, 9 from the Capital Region.

What wasn’t reviewed? 5 productions at Cap Rep, 4 at NYSTI. Of the other professional theaters (depending on how you define professional) nothing reviewed at Cohoes Music Hall, Curtain Call, Park Playhouse (although “Annie Get Your Gun” was in the Best of ’10 list I don’t remember it being reviewed.) , Hubbard Hall, Home Made, Theatre Barn… Only 2 non-professional productions were reviewed of the hundreds listed in Metroland. Beyond the lack of reviews there were of course zero covers devoted to theater (when there were a few stories in the area) and as I recall only 2 inside stories both dealing with NYSTI’s troubles. In the summer, the “Best of the Capital Region” issue named Barrington Stage and Berkshire Theater Festival best developmental and classical companies  respectively.

While I consider myself fortunate to live less than an hour’s drive from what could arguably be considered the second most productive and creative area for the performing arts in the country I sincerely doubt that they would consider themselves Capital Region theaters and neither they, Metroland’s readers or advertisers are served by these  reviews when better writing on the productions is widely available elsewhere…in the New York Times for starters.

To the matter of  intent, when there are only 9 productions from the Capital Region reviewed it forces you to consider how and why these shows were selected. The claim of journalistic objectivity is forfeited when there are 30 weeks of issues when they choose not to review. My own guess on the motivations range from the benign (comp tickets to Proctors for a cheap date night) to the shall we say, less than charitable (Is that schadenfreude at NYSTI’s troubles and possible demise especiallly in the paragraph about Scrooge looking at his grave? It made the best of 2010 list but I would defy anyone who read that review to qualify it as a rave or a ticket seller).

While every community’s arts scene across the country has struggled in the new recession, ours has probably taken a harder hit than most with our local economy tied so closely to the state’s welfare. At this specific time the possible closing of NYSTI, Cap Rep’s troubles and further layoffs and cutbacks on the town, city and state level make ardent support  for the arts an absolute must…if you care. Friends have suggested to me that Metroland doesn’t have the money to pay reviewers or that there isn’t the interest in the subject. This is absolutely ridiculous of course. There are thousands in the Capital Region who contribute to the arts scene for free. Their interest in theater extends only as far as what they can get out of it. Their reviewers get paid with free tickets, look at how many world class productions they enjoy in the Berkshires. They must cover Capital Region theater because they are an arts newspaper founded on the model of the Village Voice (who created the Obies) and this is where we live, eat and drink. You cannot choose your subject as a newspaper, it is what’s happening out your front door.

Our “arts newspaper” is contributing to the ill health and further struggles of the Capital Region theater scene by virtually ignoring it and letting their critics cherry pick shows they want to cover for their own personal agenda. Everyone involved in the hundreds of Capital Region theater productions, indeed anyone interested in the local economy, arts or our civic well-being at all should urge Metroland’s advertisers to pass on the message that Metroland needs to cover Capital Region theater. Emails from myself to the papers publisher and chief critic (?) have been unsuccessful. Let Metroland’s advertisers know they would be better serving the community buying ads in our playbills.

Just as I finished this I saw the Best of 2010 issue which opens many other discussions but 8 of the top 10 were from the Berkshires.

 

4 Responses to Guest Post: Patrick White on Theater Coverage

  1. Em says:

    At first glance I thought this said “Patrick Wolf”

  2. Em says:

    I’m pretty sure he’s dead. Why not try Jesse Camp?

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