Author: ATCA

Pam Harbaugh | Theater critic and “Casserole” playwright

Pam Harbaugh Pam Harbaugh, long-term ATCA member, critic, and arts writer at Florida Today, and administrator of Space Coast’s Junior Theatre Workshop program, now devotes much of her time to playwriting and directing. Her play Casserole was one of six winners in the 2020 national competition...

Critic Spotlight: February 2022

Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel (she/they)ChicagoPrimary Outlet: Chicago Reader Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel First, where do your reviews appear, and how long have you been there? I work as the Chicago Reader’s Audience Engagement Manager and previously freelanced with them as a theater critic beginning in 2019. What is your background in...

Phillips wins George Jean Nathan Award

Maya Phillips Cornell University’s Department of English, which administers the award for excellence in dramatic criticism endowed by Cornell alumnus, the late George Jean Nathan (1882-1958), awarded  Maya Phillips, New York Times critic at large and ATCA member, the 2020-21 George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism....

Richard Christiansen | Critic first gentleman of America’s second city

Richard Christiansen, critic and champion of the Chicago theater that Michael Billington called "alive, energetic, endlessly stimulating" and Linda Winer called simply "boisterous and thrilling" has passed away at age 90. The news was reported on January 28, 2022 by his Chicago Tribune colleague...

ATCA Connects programs continue January 18, 2022 with a BEID regional theater case study

COVID afforded theaters an opportunity to pause and re-evaluate their policies, procedures and productions. For Raleigh Little Theatre, that meant re-examining their annual production of CINDERELLA. What happened next is a testament to what happens when you engage the community in conversation, listen, and commit to...

Terry Teachout | Critic, playwright, musician, and theater lover

Terry Teachout. WSJ illustration. Terry Teachout, a drama critic and cultural columnist at the Wall Street Journal two decades, died early Thursday, January 13. He was 65. As summarized by the editorial board of his publishing home base, Teachout had a wide range of interests and explored...

Helbing Mentorship Program applications open January 15, 2022

NEW YORK – Beginning January 15, 2022, applications will be accepted  for the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA) and Foundation ATCA Helbing mentorship program for LGBTQIA+ arts writers. From January 15, 2022 at noon EST through April 30, 2022 at midnight EST, applications will be accepted...

Critic Spotlight: January 2022

Martha Wade Steketee New York, New YorkPrimary Outlet: urbanexcavations Martha Wade Steketee Basics first: where do you work (do reviews) and how long have you been there? I have been a freelance critic since 2006, writing for online and print publications based in Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, and around...

Lindsay Christians | Conferences, events, and food

Lindsay Christians. Image by Ruthie Hauge. Journalist Lindsay Christians, whose professional home base is Madison, Wisconsin’s The Capital Times, has been a member of ATCA for almost 15 years. During that time, she has been deeply involved in playwright awards and conference planning committees. In recent...

Critic Spotlight: December 2021

Samantha Baird Idaho Falls, IdahoPrimary Outlet: Samantha Baird Performing Arts Services Samantha Baird Where do you write and how long have you been writing about theater? I don’t review as much as I’d like to be today because of the pandemic, but I was writing for Front Row Reviewers...