Stage Door News
Stage Door News
On June 18 highly respected theatre critic Lynn Slotkin reported:
My media tickets privilege has been revoked for the rest of the season at Stratford.
I had an interesting phone conversation with Ann Swerdfager, the PR head of Stratford this morning. She was bright and breezy saying she enjoyed my reviews. Then we got to the meat of the call. She said that Stratford was revoking my media tickets for the rest of the season.
I asked why.
(Pause.)
She said it didn’t look like I was a fan/ friend (not sure of the word) of the Stratford Festival.
I asked if they read my reviews. They are fair and tempered, with two raves in one case.
I asked who requested it. She couldn’t say.
Poor woman. She is only the messenger. She is in an invidious position.
I was made ‘unwelcome’ several years ago by Canadian Stage with the same kind of suggestions. They too claimed I was not a friend of their company and my reviews were therefore negative. All of this was disproved. It never works to ban critics. The theatre always suffers, and it gives the banned critic more notoriety than the theatre intended. So disheartening all round.
For the record, I am not an enemy of any theatre company. I am a critic. I attend as much theatre as I can and I review what I see. Sometimes I like what I see, sometimes I don’t. But I always try to be fair and supportive. No, I am not going to LOVE everything. But I do LOVE the theatre. It is what I have devoted my life to. And it’s obvious to anyone who has read or listened to my reviews over the years.
Perhaps Des McAnuff was really ticked off at my blog piece March 13. I was simply offering a bit of perspective on Stratford, my own. Sad. http://www.slotkinletter.com/site/?p=1433
Ms. Swerdfager offered me the opportunity to buy the tickets, which media usually receive as a media benefit. I am happy to buy my tickets. In fact, even when I accept media tickets to a show I often return and pay for tickets to see the show again.
Finally, Ann said that they review the situation next year. Of course, Mr. McAnuff will no longer be artistic director at that time.
On June 20, she then reported:
Wiser minds have prevailed and I have been re-instated to the Stratford Shakespeare Festival Press list for opening night press tickets. See the e-mail below, sent June 19 at 5:36 pm to me. The ire and support from the community has been heartening:
“Dear Lynn
Please accept our regrets for any over-hasty action on our part regarding your media tickets for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Upon reflection, we realize that critical debate is an essential part of any vibrant theatrical culture and that we should continue to provide you with reviewer’s tickets.”
Ann Swerdfager
Publicity Director
Stratford Shakespeare Festival
55 Queen Street | PO Box 520 | Stratford ON | N5A 6V2
Toll Free 1.800.561.1233 | Local 519.271.4040 x2297
Box Office: Toll Free 1.800.567.1600 | Local 519.273.1600
www.stratfordshakespearefestival.com
For amusing/depressing background to these events note this exchange between Des McAnuff from March 13, 2012 and Ms. Sloykin’s reply:
Des McAnuff March 13, 2012 at 9:19 pm
Lynn, to borrow from John Neville, as long as you’re around I can never be called my own worst enemy. But no hard feelings: after all, by begging to differ from your more laudatory colleagues, you draw all the more attention to their remarkable unanimity – rather like the one dancer in the chorus line who insists that everyone is out of step but her. Besides, your dissenting opinion restores my faith (badly eroded by all those consistently positive endorsements of my tenure so far) in the natural antipathy of artists and critics. Thank you for reassuring me that lions are not about to start lying down with lambs any time soon.
Des McAnuff
Lynn Slotkin March 13, 2012 at 10:28 pm
“Mr. McAnuff: fear not, I will always be number two on your own worst enemy list. I loved your analogy of the one dancer in the chorus line who insists that every one is out of step but her. Why on earth would she be there at all–did you hire her? I know it’s hard for you to believe that among all that praise of my more laudatory colleagues I appear to be the one dissenting voice. I prefer to put another perspective on the situation. The one about that vain, arrogant Emperor and his new suit of clothes in which his supplicants were afraid to comment until one little kid said ‘the emperor has no clothes on.’
No body remembers the fawning supplicants. They do remember that kid.
All good wishes.
Lynn Slotkin
For more visit www.slotkinletter.com.
Photo: Lynn Slotkin.
2012-06-20
Toronto: Theatre critic banned from Stratford Festival – then reinstated