Critics, theatre and the new market: Dissecting an uncertain relationship
In collaboration with the Hellenic Association of Theatre and Performing Arts Critics

A symposium on contemporary theatre criticism and its related problems, prospects, deadlocks and relationship with the new theatre market, organized by the Athens Festival in collaboration with the Hellenic Association of Theatre and Performing Arts Critics.

We live in an era in which nations, identities, religions, borders and, most certainly, arts, find their limits, tolerance and resilience tested. Nothing is fixed and certain anymore. Everything appears to be relevant and subjective. When it comes to theatre criticism nobody can safely say what constitutes a good piece of theatre criticism or a good performance anymore. Without a solid point of reference, everything is up for discussion and debate. Furthermore, it is impossible to safely predict how things will turn out in a world where any notion of ‘real’ is constantly undermined.

We are currently experiencing a boom in the number of theatre performances and, by association, theatre reviews, leading to the inevitable question: Is there a deeper meaning in this boom? Does it signify the rising democratization of theatre criticism, with everybody having the right to speak their mind? Does this pluralism actually improve the quality of theatre criticism? When everybody identifies as a critic, who is the critic? When everyone identifies as an actor (or theatre company director or producer), who is the true actor or director or producer? How does one separate the wheat from the chaff among the hundreds of productions staged each season? How is the debate between critics and artists evolving in a historic moment in which there are more active critics and artists than ever before? This symposium will tackle these questions, as well as raising the issue that there are currently no prestigious theatre journals published.

No definitive answers can be reached. What is of interest here is to examine the challenges in store for critics and artists.