UTBA reviewers sound off: EXCELLENCE IN 2017
With the end of the year upon us, it’s time for one of our favorite annual traditions: the UTBA post about excellence on the Utah stage in the past year!…
Does singing show tunes fight off dementia? Maybe not.
On Twitter last month, two of my colleagues in the American Theatre Critics Association tweeted an article from the New York Daily News stating that singing musical theatre songs helped…
Hooray! Big changes coming to UTBA in 2018
Stephen Sondheim said it best: “You may know what you need, but to get what you want, better see that you keep what you have!” This quote is pertinent as…
Arts education does NOT raise academic achievement (and that’s OK)
In my day job as an educational psychologist, I read over 300 scholarly articles and books per year. A lot of these discuss how to raise academic achievement (i.e., grades,…
Theatre criticism in the digital age: Dispatch from ATCA 2017
SAN FRANCISCO — Several years ago I found Utah Theatre Bloggers Association, and was so excited to get the chance to see production in Utah and offer my thoughts about…
Meet the cast and director of Pygmalion’s ELEEMOSYNARY
SALT LAKE CITY — Three women sit before me: Barb Gandy, Tracie Merrill, and Sydney Shoell. Each are different in age, for they are set to portray three generations of…
BroadwayCon: Year Two
NEW YORK CITY — In 2016, I was able to attend the first ever BroadwayCon, founded by Broadway actor Anthony Rapp, and this past weekend, I was lucky enough to…
UTBA reviewers sound off: Excellence in 2016
The social media consensus is that 2016 was a rough year for America. With a surplus of celebrity deaths and a chaotic presidential election, many people are ready to put…
Report on the 2016 Theatre Olympics (Wrocław, Poland)
WROCŁAW, POLAND — Thanks to the generous financial support of the Foundation of the American Theatre Critics Association (and the kindness of my boss to let me miss a few…
Are online theatre reviews as useful as traditional reviews?
How influential are online theatre reviews, like those that UTBA publishes? Do people actually choose whether to buy a ticket in response to an online play review? Are online critics…