What made you decide to become a theatre reviewer?

Believe it or not…it all started about 15 years ago because I got tired of paying extravagant ticket prices to attend plays or musicals I wanted to see. On a teacher’s salary, it’s not easy to pay $60-$80/per person and then if you have a date, double that…and now Broadway prices are over $100-$125/per…do you believe the greed? Ridiculous! I knew if I wrote reviews, I would get two comps for every show I saw, so… And, there was another reason too, I must admit. I had been co-editor of my high school newspaper and contributed articles to my university paper…and somehow within me, there was a burgeoning journalist raging to come out. I had never satisfied that desire in me to write for a living. Well, actually, there really is no living to be made at it unless you’re writing for the LA Times, but I think you get my drift. I wanted to write professionally, if not for any other reason than to extend my creativity.

What is your background in theatre?

I come to the critiquing of theatre, as an actor and language teacher. I studied in New York at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and at HB Studios with Bill Hickey and Austin Pendleton, did a lot of waiver theatre there and eventually here, after I studied with Stella Adler and Jose Quintero. I was in a great acting company called Actors Alley in Sherman Oaks in the late 70s/early 80s. Tyne Daly and David Soul were once members there. When that all stopped – pursuing a career in film and TV due to economic need, I needed to pay my rent - I went back to teaching high school.

Why do theatre producers put such importance on a good theatre review?

Usually word of mouth will help put bodies in theatre seats, but sometimes there’s just not enough word of mouth, at least not as much as in New York. Here in LA, many industry folk, especially casting folk, do not attend the theatre - this is a film town after all – so, if actors really want to be seen, they’ll bombard the community with postcards and flyers and hope for the best. Part of that hope is a prayer that they’ll get reviewed and get good reviews. If the review is good to excellent, it’s not only good for the actors’ careers, but for the producers as well, as it helps to fill the seats night after night and maybe the overall expenses of putting up the show will eventually get covered. Profit for the producers? Most likely, no. They’re lucky if they break even. It’s a nasty business, this theatre that we so dearly love …

What makes a theatregoer trust your opinion of a show?

That’s a great question. Good God, I don’t really know. What in the hell do I know that makes me more special than the next Joe? Yes, I know about theatre, from the actors’ standpoint at least, but most theatergoers do not know my background unless they read my bio. Some do, though, I guess and I get thanked a lot by people through e-mails, and then, once in a blue moon, someone will come up to me and shake my hand and thank me. I’m always amazed when that happens. To answer your question, I think the average theatregoer comes to trust what a critic thinks of a show, if said critic is experienced at it. I dislike how some of the major critics tear productions to shreds, though. I won’t mention names, but I’ve seen some wonderful work and then see a glaringly bad review of it. I cannot believe we’ve seen the same show. So, I made a practice a few years back, if I’m writing about a play, I never read what others have to say about it. I trust what I think, publish it, and that’s that.

Nowadays, with Facebook, Twitter and all of the other venues opened to people to whine, rant, rave and kvetch, people read other people’s comments about productions and a lot of theatre attendance may very well be influenced by that. Good God! Everybody can now be a critic and people listen and follow. It’s so shaky, isn’t it? The theatre? … It depends on so much and so many… just to survive.

What makes a good theatre production?

It must start with good writing. If the script is underdeveloped or weak, there is nothing that good actors and a great crew can do to make it right. Of course, they can make it better than it is, but if it’s bad writing, who wants to see it? To sit through it? Ughh! The bottom line is… it’s a good theatre production IF it has great writing, great acting and great directing. It helps to have great scenery and costumes too, of course, but if everything else is great, I can live with actors performing on a bare stage in leotards. Many good smaller theatre companies do not have the budgets to create impressive sets or costumes, and we must accept that.

How do NoHo theatre productions compare to theatre in other parts of LA?

I’ve seen some great work in NoHo. I’m a member of The Road, and have been for 7 years. For that reason, I won’t review the productions there, but the work is usually stellar. Other great theatres…Antaeus, NoHo Arts Center, Crown City Theatre; the El Portal also has some winners from time to time…This season two of the very best productions were in NoHo: Peace in Our Time at Antaeus and Danny and the Deep Blue Sea at Crown…amazing, both could not be better if they were on stage at the Mark Taper Forum.

During the economic downturn in our country is there less theatre being produced?

I don’t have any actual facts on that. I think some shows have been cancelled due to the economic climate. I know the Ahmanson had to cancel Funny Girl because many backers pulled out at the last minute – what a shame! Reprise Theatre Company had to cancel The Baker’s Wife in February due to the economy…but let’s face it, this is a town with money. There are a lot of wealthy people here who work in the movie business. They can afford to put up theatre, and do. They can certainly afford to go to theatre and do. I think overall the economy has kept some people from buying tickets, but that, in spite of everything…OMG I sound like Ann Frank… people are basically good- no, no! The bottom line is this: theatre has survived in the past and will continue to, as long as people care about the arts. Get those lame Congressmen to listen and support!!!

What is the average amount of theatre on any given Saturday night?

Do you mean audience? Is the audience full, half full or scattered? Based on what I’ve seen, at the larger venues, at the Ahmanson, for example, there’s a full house. At a small theatre in NoHo, if the production is good, there are 40-60 people out of a possible 80-90. Could be better, but that’s life in the theatre, as they say. There are exceptions, though. I know the Taper usually does well, but I know Vigil did not have big audiences. Why? The play was not a good one. Olympia Dukakis is a great actress, but the play was far from great! With mixed reviews and bad word of mouth, people decided not to waste their money. Danny and the Deep Blue Sea at Crown has been consistently sold out. Why? Matt Williamson and Juliet Landau are astounding to watch. It’s a great John Patrick Shanley play and the work is phenomenal. Give the people good theatre and they will come, irregardless of the size of the theatre.
Tell us about www.grigwaretalkstheatre.com.

I was writing for Jose Ruiz and www.reviewplays.com for 4 years. The site had problems at the end of 2007 and suddenly went down. Rather than write for some lesser known publication, I stood tall, decided to do my own thing and form my own website. www.grigwaretalsktheatre.com came about because every name I chose to call it was already taken; I knew if I named it Grigware, the chances were nil no one else would have it! I am alone, an island, creating all my own work. I have no help except a fabulous lady who changes my main page and my Outside LA page. I work my blogs myself daily and love doing it. I think my site is a good one; it’s far from perfect, but it’s good. I know there are many others; there’s a lot of competition, but I’m not in this game to compete. There’s a place out there for all of us. I love theatre and love helping in whatever way I can. It’s my service to the community, and I am happy to do it. There’ll always be that teacher inside of me. I meet a lot of great people and enjoy every minute of it all; I hope that never changes as I face my decrepit years ahead.

Don, you got at least 30 years to tell new generations about the wonderful world of theatre. Thank you, Nancy