Theater Criticism as Instrument of Social Change or, How the Theater Critic Can Improve the World

Those scheduled to take part in the roundtable include representatives of the East European Performing Arts Platform (EEPAP), lecture teams, and younger generation critics. Their proposed topic of consideration was address questions on the task of theater criticism, what distinguishes it, and how might it contribute to and influence the formation of social processes in each country. Is the contemporary viewing public in need of the theater critic? In what areas must the contemporary critic be knowledgeable? Where must the focus of the contemporary critic lie, what do directors, theaters, and playwrights demand from the professional critic, and what is required by the audience?

These questions are relevant for critics of any country, and the roundtable had set as goals the construction of a shared definition of the profession of the contemporary critic, and the understanding of ways in which a theater critic might influence the world for the better. Students and critics who have only recently embarked on their work were also invited to take part in the roundtable. Participants include: O. Berhelis, P. Rudnev, V. Mrozek, M. Cherna, Y. Popovici, T. Yasai, Y. Vikhovska, P. Sochynskyi, A. Hayshenets, N. Sokolenko, V. Sobianskyi, I. Chuzhynova, U. Roy.

Moderator: Maya Harbuzyuk (Lviv).