Title: EVERYONE’S A CRITIC

Presenter: Bob Abelman is the award-winning theater critic for the daily News-Herald and the weekly Chagrin Valley Times/Solon Times/Geauga Times Courier. He is a member of the American Theater Critics Association and Cleveland Critics Circle, a 2010 National Endowment for the Arts fellow in Arts Journalism, and the recipient of three Excellence in Research Awards from The International Mensa Education and Research Foundation for his work on media/arts literacy and artistic giftedness. Bob is also a Distinguished Professor at Cleveland State University, a produced playwright and (when it does not conflict with his reviews) a professional actor with Broadway critics.

He is the author of the just-released REFEREEING THE MUSES: A THEATER CRITICISM/ARTS JOURNALISM PRIMER, which is intended for lay critics and journalism students.

Description: Bob will discuss the changing face and function of theater criticism/arts journalism and explore the ample opportunities for fledgling critics in the local marketplace and in cyberspace.