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Christine Dolen: All the World’s Her Stage

Christine Dolen:  All the World’s Her Stage

 

 




Introduction to Christine Dolen.  0:50 sec.  Interview:  Raymond Elman. Photo:  Ricardo Sevilla for Artburst Miami.  Recorded: 7/2/2020, via Zoom.

 

Editor’s Note:  This is the first ArtSpeak video interview during the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020, recorded via Zoom.

 

CHRISTINE DOLEN was the Miami Herald’s theater critic from 1979 to 2015.  She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism from The Ohio State University and was formerly a critic and editor with the Detroit Free Press.  She was a John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University in 1984-85, and a senior fellow at Columbia University’s National Arts Journalism program in 1999.  In 1997, she was a member of the Pulitzer Prize drama jury.

Ms. Dolen’s awards include the Green Eyeshade in criticism from the Atlanta Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and first place in arts writing in the Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Awards. In 2001, she received the George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts.  She has also been honored with a Silver Palm Award and the South Florida Theatre League’s Remy Award for her coverage of theater in the region. In November 2011, American Theatre Magazine named her as one of a dozen of the country’s most influential theater critics. She has contributed to both American Theatre and Inside Arts magazines, and was an editorial board member of Best Plays Theater Yearbook.  She is also a judge with South Florida’s Carbonell Awards and with the Miami Herald’s Silver Knights program.

As a freelance critic, her work now regularly appears on ArtburstMiami.com, MiamiHerald.com, and SouthFlorida.com, as well as in the Miami Herald, ArtSpeak, WLRN.com, and the Sun-Sentinel.

The videos below are organized by topic and run between 30 seconds and 8 minutes. Click on any video. You must be connected to the Internet to view the videos.

 

EXPOSURE TO BROAD INFLUENCES:  1:01 min.




Where did you grow up and what was your first exposure to theater?

 

SEIZES OPPORTUNITIES: 2:01 min.




Was there a point when you realized you were good at writing and you wanted to make a career out of it?

 

SERENDIPITY:   2:12 min.




We hear they made a movie about you . . . “Almost Famous.”

 

CREATIVE FLEXIBILITY:  1:14 min.




When you were at the Detroit Free Press, Detroit was still one of the major cities of the world. Why did you leave?

 

CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND:  0:20 sec.




Do you miss reporting on rock ‘n’ roll?

 

COMMUNITY VALUES: 2:34 min.




Describe the evolution of Miami theater from the time you first arrived until 2020.

 

INSIGHT & INSPIRATION:   1:32 min.




What are your thoughts about Juggerknot Theatre?

 

PERSEVERANCE FURTHERS: 1:38 min.




Have you written any books that accumulate your experiences with theater?

 

STRONG DRIVE FOR ACHIEVEMENT:   2:14 min.




Describe your typical work week.

 

CRITICAL THINKING:  1:14 min.




Do you consider journalism to be an art discipline?

 

UNDERSTANDS ARTISTS’ NEEDS:  0:50 sec.




It’s interesting how many actors describe themselves as shy people who are good at role-playing other people, but not themselves.

 

INSIGHT & INSPIRATION:  2:45 min.




Describe the “fellowship of the theater.”  Do you think it’s different from other art disciplines?

 

EXPOSURE TO BROAD INFLUENCES:  1:33 min.




Who are your role models and influencers?

 

CRITICAL THINKING: 1:15 min.




In an ArtSpeak interview, jazz legend Gary Burton said that when he reads art criticisms or reviews, he mainly wants enough information to know if he might like the piece or not. He doesn’t care if the critic liked the piece.

 

INSIGHT & INSPIRATION:  4:16 min.




This is an unfair question, but what are some of your favorite plays that originated in Miami?

 

OVERCOMES CHALLENGES TO SUCCEED:  2:19 min.




Describe a challenging situation with a successful outcome.

 

SEIZES OPPORTUNITIES:  3:15 min.




Interviewing Richard Burton must have been thrilling. What other interviews stand out for you?

 

CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND:  2:41 min.




Have your interviews spawned any lasting relationships?

 

EXPOSURE TO BROAD INFLUENCES:  1:17 min.




Candice Bergen was in my class at Penn and I met her on a project when we were both 18. She was so flawlessly beautiful that she took my breath away. What was it like to meet legendary beauty Elizabeth Taylor?

 

RESILIENCE:  2:04 min.




What are some of your biggest challenges during the pandemic of 2020?

 

CRITICAL THINKING:  0:30 sec.




Have you ever tried to write a play?

 

CRITICAL THINKING:  1:10 min.




What role should a university play in the development of “theater people” and the development of theater critics?

 

RESILIENCE:  0:39 sec.




Do you see the possibility of anything positive happening in theater as a result of the pandemic?