Macbeth review "confounds"

In responce to your article, "Macbeth Confounds," (Nov. 6):

We study at a competitive college full of talented, passionate and intelligent individuals.
To defend this review because it is, in your opinion, no worse than the others you have read (I would argue that it is, but that's another point) is an insult to the community. Brandeis is a liberal arts college that emphasizes preparing its students to excel in written communication.

This is why every student is required to take a university writing seminar and two writing intensive courses.

To be fair, it's easy enough to blow off these courses and pass without really improving as a writer, but the goal is to ensure that every student can make his or her thoughts clear in the written medium. This review-and many other reviews published in the Brandeis newspapers-does not do that.

It is difficult to write a review of a play. To write a truly effective review requires an individual who has an intimate understanding of the creative process, but can distance him- or herself from it. It requires both art and logic, both style and precision. It requires an ability to perceive the finest nuances of a play and examine them within the context of the whole piece. There are workshops and programs dedicated solely to the development of theater critics.
And it is often a thankless job-both positive and negative reviews draw criticism. It is not fair to expect brilliant theater reviews from students at Brandeis who are still learning how to approach such reviews. That being said, we can and should expect more than this.
I will admit that I believe this article would not have drawn so much criticism had it been a positive, but equally poorly-written review. Still, such a bias does not cancel the validity of these comments. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and theater reviews are, by their nature, a forum for personal opinions. Reviews are subjective.

If this reviewer did not find certain aspects of this production effective, it is her duty to include those aspects in a clear, well-reasoned manner. This review contains criticism (and occasional praise), but it is clear about neither.

Here I will state my bias: I was an actor in this production. I have been acting for a long time and have received both positive and negative reviews, and I can say, honestly, that if a review is well-written, I will find it engaging no matter what it says about me, my fellow actors or the production as a whole.

Not all reviews can be positive, nor should they be. But they should be written in a way that encourages dialogue, not confusion. This review left me, in the author's own words, "perplexed, puzzled, and confused."

-Caitlin Partridge '12

Arts review lacks coherent point

In responce to your article, "Macbeth Confounds," (Nov. 6):

I used to be the editor in chief of a high school newspaper, for a school of 360 students. In this high school newspaper, we would have at least three editors read an article before we printed it. Often, there were more than three drafts, but an article could not go into the paper unless it was read and looked at by at least three pairs of eyes. And this was in high school. The Justice is supposed to be the newspaper of record for an elite university. Their review of "Macbeth Confounds" is an embarrassment to the reputation of the paper.

I don't mind a reviewer who did not like the production.

But this review is incoherent, nonsensical and makes me question if anybody at all looked at it between the first draft and printing. To be honest, I don't even know if she liked the show or not.

Of course, I am not objective here, but I would not be nearly as upset if she disliked every aspect of the production and picked it apart in a coherent and logical manner.
       
-David Benger '14

David Benger was the director of Hold Thy Peace's Macbeth and is the president of Brandeis Players.