Naveen Kumar. (Picture by Myles Loftin)
What does it imply to be a nationwide theatre publication? Clearly this can be a query we take into consideration lots at American Theatre. The artwork kind we cowl is inherently place-based, the final word you-had-to-be-there expertise, however it is usually a kind and an business that circulates and replicates everywhere in the nation and the world, with impression effectively past its rapid time and house. So it makes a certain quantity of sense for folk who cowl theatre to maintain one eye on their native phases and one eye—or a nook of their eye, no less than—on what’s taking place elsewhere, together with within the theatre’s business capital in New York Metropolis.
That’s the logic, as I perceive it, behind the theatre protection of such main U.S. newspapers as The Los Angeles Occasions, The Chicago Tribune, and The Washington Publish, the place their lead critics have a mandate to cowl each their respective cities’ homegrown theatre scenes and the foremost fare on Broadway (and generally Off-). Ostensibly their native audiences are as desirous about exhibits headed for or coming from New York as they’re within the choices at their native regional and storefront theatres (although it must be mentioned that a variety of native theatremakers in these cities really feel in any other case). And the critics at these shops do contribute worthwhile perspective not solely to native customers however to a nationwide readership as effectively, ideally educating each and elevating an intrinsically native artwork kind right into a broader dialogue.
That has meant a variety of frequent flier miles for Charles McNulty and Chris Jones, respectively, and till not too long ago a variety of hours on the Acela for Peter Marks, who exited the Publish earlier this 12 months after 21 years on the job. Final week the Publish introduced that Naveen Kumar, whose main bylines as a critic have been at Selection and The New York Occasions, would be the paper’s new lead theatre critic. Like Marks, he’ll stay based mostly in New York and can proceed his astute protection of choices there, however his core job shall be to cowl as a lot as theatre within the DMV (D.C./Maryland/Virginia) as he can handle.
I spoke yesterday with Naveen about his background on the company facet of the enterprise, what his protection mandate shall be in his new job, and his prognosis each for the theatre and for arts journalism (he’ll proceed to function affiliate director of the O’Neill’s Nationwide Critics Institute).
ROB WEINERT-KENDT: Congrats, Naveen. You’ve been doing theatre criticism for some time, however is a full-time gig one thing you might have been searching for?
NAVEEN KUMAR: Theatre criticism has all the time been one thing I’ve been enthusiastic about since I began in journalism; it was all the time a chunk of what I’ve been doing. I don’t assume I ever assumed that a chance like this could come alongside, as a result of, as you understand, theatre journalism is sort of area of interest, and there are solely so many shops that basically need it. So I used to be diversified as a journalist by way of what I coated, as a contributing editor at Them, the place I’ve been writing about TV and movie and queer tradition. I by no means had the idea {that a} full-time critic place can be in my future or given, so it’s an exciting form of shock in that approach.
After I interviewed Hana Sharif final 12 months, she mentioned she had particularly dreamt not solely of being an inventive director, however of being the creative director of Enviornment Stage. I’ve usually heard individuals joke that no child desires of rising as much as be a theatre critic. What’s your theatre critic origin story?
I believe most likely the one cause I didn’t dream about it as a child is that I didn’t understand it was the factor you may dream about. I’ve all the time been a theatre lover. I grew up in Ann Arbor, Mich., seeing excursions coming by Detroit. My first few exhibits had been the Fiddler on the Roof tour, the Guys and Dolls tour. We might additionally go to Toronto and see the massive business exhibits. I used to be a director in school and I carried out a bit of bit in highschool. I’ve all the time simply beloved the shape. However I additionally beloved writing, so I studied English in school, which felt like a extra sensible tutorial pursuit, despite the fact that it was by no means. I beloved literary criticism as a lot as something.
After I got here out of faculty, I labored within the theatre business on the company facet. I spent about seven years working at expertise companies, first at a smaller company for actors, a variety of whom are large Broadway stars now, once they had been getting their begin about 20 years in the past. Then I labored at CAA within the theatre division, and my boss represented playwrights and administrators. So I bought to know a variety of how issues work behind the scenes, how exhibits come collectively—all of the ins and outs of how new work will get made. That was actually eye-opening. But it surely simply wasn’t a path I needed to pursue, so I left and went to grad college for English literature once more, simply eager to get again into my head and again on the web page. After I completed that program, a buddy of a buddy wanted somebody to jot down about theatre for Towleroad, a queer information and leisure web site. I did that for 10 years, nearly, and I may actually form of write no matter I needed. It was an incredible platform for me to only work out how you can write about theatre and what my voice was. That was form of a moonlighting factor I might do alone time, whereas I additionally labored as a duplicate editor and as an editor in digital media, and ultimately went freelance full-time, doing largely writing but additionally some enhancing.
That company background is fascinating. There’s a notion you’ll hear that critics can be higher or extra reliable if that they had some background as practitioners within the subject they cowl, which I don’t assume is true as a rule or a great, although I’m not against people crossing over. Having a background on the company facet is an entire different factor. How does that have an effect on your criticism?
I have a look at it as an business. I see who’s getting paid for what, which novels are within the public area—that’s why we’re getting all these Nice Gatsbys. I see which producers are working with which large expertise. In the event you see big-name stars, administrators, and playwrights all on the identical exhibits, you’re like: Oh, they’re all repped by the identical brokers. I simply form of take note of the patterns. I’m nonetheless pleasant with individuals from that point; I’m not tremendous up-to-date on it, however it’s positively very attention-grabbing to have a look at it from the enterprise facet, and to see how that intersects with what we wind up with onstage artistically.
I imply, it’s straightforward to wring your fingers and say, “Why is all of this current IP onstage?” and to think about there’s some form of creative god who’s giving or not supplying you with what you need. However there are such a lot of forces which are shaping what we’re getting, and a variety of it on this nation is a business crucial—the choices which are made behind the scenes for what we find yourself with onstage, a variety of them don’t have anything to do with artwork. That’s simply one thing that I’m conscious of in a variety of totally different contexts, together with what nonprofits are programming—like, are they programming this as a result of they’ve a relationship with this playwright they usually’re all the time gonna do his performs? Are they all the time going to do one thing that brings in crowds, after which subsequent do one thing that’s extra experimental? I’m all the time taking a look at it from that perspective. It’s pure to me.
Because you talked about nonprofits, that’s a very good segue to ask you about Washington, D.C., particularly, the place there’s a smattering of economic theatre however the place the lion’s share of theatre is at nonprofits of all sizes. What’s your protection mandate on the Publish, and what kind of ratio of New York vs. DMV stuff will you be protecting?
I’m very delicate and conscious of the truth that Washington, D.C., readers and theatres, the neighborhood, actually desire a native critic. I’m conscious of that; I take that very severely. They need somebody who’s engaged and current and seeing these exhibits and responding to them. That’s a very vital a part of the job that I’m not taking evenly, that I’m going to make a core a part of what I’m doing. I believe there are additionally no illusions about the truth that New York is the middle of economic theatre within the nation, and performs which are on Broadway find yourself going out to the areas and vice versa; there’s a relationship that’s ongoing and goes in each instructions. So New York protection is all the time going to be an vital a part of any nationwide theatre part, and I’m well-situated and well-versed to maintain that a part of it. Since I haven’t began but, we’re going to really feel out how a lot I’ll be touring and protecting exhibits across the nation and in London. However I believe, once more, the first obligations shall be fulfilling that native critic accountability in D.C., after which additionally protecting the middle of the theatre business. We’ll see what I’ve the bandwidth for.
When new creative leaders come right into a theatre or a city they don’t know effectively, they usually discuss doing a form of listening tour to listen to what’s on individuals’s minds. Do you intend one thing comparable in D.C.?
I’m positively open to assembly individuals and connecting with creative leaders, attending to know them and listening to their considerations and what they need from protection. It’s thrilling for me to get to know a brand new metropolis and a brand new scene. I believe there are some individuals who, as I mentioned, would have needed somebody inside D.C. who is aware of the scene. I hear that, and I believe it additionally will be thrilling to have a recent perspective in your scene. I actually discover it personally and professionally thrilling, and I hope the neighborhood can see it in the identical approach—that somebody coming in with a beneficiant, open, curious thoughts about what the scene is can cowl it with a form of vigor and freshness that can assist everybody have a brand new perspective.
One other factor your predecessor, Peter Marks, and different main critics have been doing is to combine opinions with reported items. I do know from writing you’ve finished, together with for us, that these expertise are in your wheelhouse too. Will you be mixing it up that approach on the Publish?
I positively plan to jot down greater than opinions: essays, commentary, reporting. I believe it’s vast open for what I discover thrilling and attention-grabbing, and in what path I wish to lead the part.
I’ve largely learn your theatre opinions of particular person exhibits (and by the best way, thanks for being one of many few Cabaret followers, as am I), so I don’t know your bigger tackle the well being of the American theatre basically. How do you assume the business is faring total, some years after the Covid lockdown and We See You, White American Theater?
I’ve coated the business in disaster at totally different phases of it, and I used to be paying very shut consideration through the shutdown, after which all of the panicking and existentialism of the second we reopened. There’s been a variety of deep pondering and listening that has gone on during the last 4 or 5 years, and we’re nonetheless seeing the place that’s main. I believe everybody has one of the best of intentions proper now, and that bringing the urgency of the survival of the business to the fore in the best way that the final a number of years have finished has been very productive by way of our fascinated about, who’s theatre for? Who’re we serving? Who’s onstage, and who’s making the choices about who’s onstage? That has gotten a variety of thought-about consideration, and a variety of adjustments have been made. We’re in such early phases and we’re nonetheless seeing how that’s enjoying out.
Actually on Broadway this season, there was such quite a lot of issues that I believe it’s a testomony to a very broad and diversified urge for food amongst customers and buyers and producers about what they wish to be placing on. And I believe that vibrancy of alternative—that you may go see a really critical, prickly drama or a very enjoyable, foolish musical—is what individuals need. Audiences are complicated, and I believe we’re all the time going to be figuring ourselves out. It’s not an business that’s going to only discover a solution sooner or later, and assume, Oh, phew, we’ve bought it now. I believe asking actually large questions is troublesome, and there aren’t straightforward solutions, however asking them is step one, and a variety of sensible individuals have been doing that and making use of themselves to how you can reply them. I believe there’s a variety of potential there to see what they give you.
The opposite business I wish to ask you about is our personal. As an affiliate director on the O’Neill critics institute, you mentor a variety of younger critics. What do you inform them in regards to the subject they hope to enter?
One the explanations I’m very honored and humbled to have this place is that I by no means assumed it might be attainable. Ever since I’ve been a theatre journalist, we’ve been asking this query of who’s studying it? What’s it for? What’s subsequent? The angle I’ve from working on the O’Neill and the sensible writers we now have each summer time is that there’s such an urge for food for writing in regards to the arts, for pondering deeply about theatre and media and for participating with it critically, and for serving to readers perceive and dig into it. That is maybe idealistic, however I believe there’ll all the time be a necessity and a need to dig into the tales in our tradition. Tales that we’re being instructed throughout each media have which means, they replicate who we’re and our deepest wishes and fears, and there’s all the time going to be a necessity for us to grasp that and to be in dialog with that. Even a passive shopper of media who’s zoning out to a TV present, that TV present nonetheless has a narrative it’s telling you, that’s seeping into your bloodstream and your consciousness, and it’s shaping individuals. So I believe there’s a robust and protracted want for what we’re doing.
The shape it takes is clearly altering, and it must—it wants to satisfy readers the place they’re, and reply to the artwork kinds as they alter and to know-how. I believe the concept criticism all the time has to look the identical or have the identical which means, that it might open or shut a present or get individuals to purchase tickets—we now have to think about all these issues as malleable. There’s no proper approach for it to be. Life is change, and in case you’re continuously holding onto the best way issues was, you’re going to deliver your self a variety of struggling. That’s to not say it isn’t troublesome proper now. We’re asking troublesome questions in the identical approach that theatre business is, however I believe the very fact a variety of sensible persons are asking the identical questions and making use of ourselves to them means there’s potential there for determining a approach ahead.
So are we going to see you on TikTok, Naveen?
That will be one other studying curve for me.
Rob Weinert-Kendt (he/him) is the editor-in-chief of American Theatre.
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