I was the first critic ever to win a Tony - for co-authoring 'Elaine Stritch at Liberty.' Criticism is a life without risk; the critic is risking his opinion, the maker is risking his life. It's a humbling thought but important for the critic to keep it in mind - a thought he can only know if he's made something himself.
Interpretation
Criticism holds risks, and true understanding requires personal experience in creation.
In this quote, John Lahr emphasizes the contrast between the roles of the critic and the creator. While critics engage in a form of risk by sharing their opinions, creators put their very selves on the line through the act of making art. This highlights the importance of empathy and humility in criticism, suggesting that only those who have created can fully comprehend the challenges and stakes involved in the artistic process.
In practice
This quote could be used in a lecture about the responsibilities of critics in the arts.
Theatre is a game of hide-and-seek. For both the hiders and the seekers, the thrill is in the discovery. When the rules of the game are too vague or too complicated, however, the audience can lose its urge to play; the prize no longer seems quite worth the hunt.
Writers don't always know what they mean - that's why they write. Their work stands in for them. On the page, the reader meets the authoritative, perfected self; in life, the writer is lumbered with the uncertain, imperfect one.
Being in a band turns you into a child and keeps you there.
It's an artist's duty to reflect the times in which we live.
A good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read.
I was lucky: I feel like I've written four books that mean something to me, and one book that means everything to me, and that's 'The Book Thief.'
For me, that emotional payoff is what it’s all about. I want you to laugh or cry when you read a story...or do both at the same time. I want your heart, in other words. If you want to learn something, go to school.
On Painting Rats, and the Glorification of Them. They exist without permission. They are hated, hunted and persecuted. They live in quiet desperation amongst the filth. And yet they are capable of bringing entire civilizations to their knees. If you are dirty, insignificant, and unloved then rats are the ultimate role model.
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