The Corona Special Section: You are not alone!

During the month of March it was obvious that, despite the new and dramatic developments in the Corona pandemic, the national associations of IATC were reacting quickly. Different initiatives were undertaken in many countries where theatre critics proved to be active and inventive. It is well known to us all that a theatre critic is far more than a person writing reviews. We write books and articles for general readership and for scholars. We work on juries for festivals, organize conversations and panel discussions. In the days of darkened theatre, these skills were of great help.

The solidarity with the profession in the vast field of the performing arts was clear, as the American Theatre Critics Association put it: You are not alone! Observations were fascinating, as in a report from India on a classical dancer’s creation of a “Corona dance.” The yearly theatre prizes given by Swedish critics were transformed into online conversations with the honored artists. Collaboration with playwrights took place in Nigeria, as in the Czech Republic.

Perhaps only a theatre critic could contribute with the comment expressed by our French colleague (and IATC Honorary President) Georges Banu:

Alfred de Musset spoke of “theatre in an armchair” of which he was a supporter; here we are, like him, folded in on ourselves to “dream of the theatre.” Refugees in the land of absence, we tread it in front of screens, waiting for the “big return.”