I was graduated by California State University – Long Beach with a BA in Technical Theater. I took several classes taught by Herb Camburn. I had three classes taught by Bill Smith. Herb, Bill, and the other technical theater instructors stressed learning how to receive critiques of our work and how to present a critique to others. When we completed a project, we were expected to start with a critique of our work. Then the rest of the class presented their critiques of that work.
Over the years, I have had my work critiqued by others. I have also been asked to present an individual critique to a friend or student. I have also been part of critique panels at variety arts conferences.
In this excerpt from my book, The Creative Process for Variety Artists, I share what I learned from my teachers and from my own experience.
For many people the creative process has a definite beginning and ending. When they finish with a project, they leave it and start another project. Providing entertainment is a work in progress. You return to what you created with every performance. There is always the possibility of making changes. Hopefully those changes will improve your performances.
A critique is a valuable tool for entertainers. It can be thought of as part of the Judge role. It can be used in the initial development of a new routine. It can be used at any point to improve existing routines.
It always helps to have somebody watching from the audience’s position with a fresh viewpoint. You know what you want the audience to see and what you are trying to communicate because you created it. That may not be clear to somebody seeing it for the first time. You need somebody to tell you what you are actually communicating.
Sometimes another person will spot something that I had not considered. For example, one time a friend commented that when I placed a black prop in front of a black background the prop was difficult to see. I did not realize that because I had been looking at the prop from the opposite side so the background was different from my viewpoint. I changed where I placed that prop on stage and audience response improved.
Sometimes it is a matter of angles. A magician asked me to critique his act. He was attempting to demonstrate that a tube was empty. He waved the tube around in front of his waist. The angle at which he was holding it prevented audience members from being able to see inside the tube. I suggested that he raise the tube and look through it at some of the audience members. If he could see them the tube was at the right angle for them to see through it themselves. Also, that meant that he was making eye contact with audience members which tends to create a feeling of connection with them. He made that change and later told me that it improved response to his act.
When many people hear the word “critique” they mistakenly think of fault finding or severe judgement according to a strict criterion. A critique should be a careful evaluation of strong points, potential improvements, and possible alternatives.
A critique should be a positive experience, but some people cause harm by approaching it in the wrong way. Here is the right way to use the critique process.
If possible, arrange in advance for a critique to be done during an actual performance. By asking somebody to do it prior to the show they can focus on your act and take notes while you are performing. Choose somebody that you respect and trust.
Sometimes you can ask an impromptu question after a friend has seen you perform. Early in my career I did not speak on stage. When I became more involved in gospel clown ministry, I discovered that I needed to talk to be sure that my message was clear. I began adding some verbal segments to my ministry performances. I was concerned that broke my character and was jarring to the audience. A magician that I respect was in the audience of one of my ministry presentations. He came backstage afterwards to say hello. I asked him what he thought of the verbal segments. He said, “Charlie speaks when he has to, but most of the time he does not need to speak.” After his comment I added some verbal segments to other shows.
Sometimes a convention or educational program will offer the opportunity an audience of convention participants and then receive feedback from a panel. That is valuable because you get more than one point of view.
If you cannot have a critique done during a performance, pretend that an audience is there. For example, if you drop a scarf on the floor, and audience members normally tell you that you dropped it, pretend that you hear them. Respond to those imaginary audience members. Do not stop performing to explain that the audience would be telling you to pick it up. Disrupting your performance prevents the person doing the critique from knowing how you respond.
Some people like to have a recording of a show critiqued. This allows you to see what you look like while your act is discussed. The recording can be paused and reversed to focus on specific segments.
Do not rely solely on other entertainers for critiques. Try to get comments from normal audience members. Magicians who enter competitions frequently perform card manipulation which consists of barehanded vanishes and productions of playing cards. Those routines impress other magicians because they understand the degree of skill that is required.
I took my parents to the Hollywood Magic Castle as my guests. A magician who had won numerous competitions with his card manipulation act was performing. He started his act by picking up a stack of playing cards. He made the cards vanish. Then he reproduced them. I could tell that my mother was not very impressed by his act. After we left, I asked her what she thought of that act. Her response was, “Well, he was good at hiding cards in his hand.”
There was no sense of wonder for her. It did not seem like magic. She knew how the act was done. She saw him pick up the cards. She saw the cards briefly. He gestured with his hands and then she could not see them. She knew that he was hiding them. When she saw them again, she knew that he was pulling them out of their hiding place. I remembered her comment when I performed my own brief card manipulation routine for several years. I started out by secretly obtaining the cards. Then when I began producing them, the audience was surprised. I acted surprised myself.
Another way to receive a critique is by using feedback forms or on-line surveys. Many companies use them. A lot of educational programs use evaluation forms. I know that Clown Camp has made changes in their staff, schedule, and events based on comments on the forms.
What opportunities do you have for receiving a critique? Who would you like to give you comments? How would you arrange for a performance to be critiqued?
Do not be defensive. Remember that your purpose in having a critique done is to improve what you will do, not to justify what you have done. If you are trying to defend what you have done, you are not concentrating on what is being said.
Randy Pryor told his students to develop an elephant’s hide when listening to the opinion of others. He said, “You have to take everything in without letting it penetrate to your heart. Then decide what is helpful and forget the rest.”
Comments can be easy to forget so you need to preserve them. Writing down comments creates the perception that you are serious about the process. When I had one of my routines critiqued by a panel at a Magic Show Conference, I grabbed a notebook and pen before they started making their comments. I wrote down something about what each person on the panel said to me. Later in the day, one of the panelists said, “When I noticed you writing down our comments, I knew that they were important to you. I went into more detail with you than anybody else because I knew that you would appreciate that and consider my suggestions carefully. I did not give some of the other performers many comments because they did not seem to be paying attention so it would be a waste of time.”
Some people like to have the comments recorded. Use technology, but do not rely on it. There can be a problem with a recording. I always take notes even if something is recorded.
Do not accept comments uncritically. Everyone can be mistaken. Use those ideas that make sense to you, and ignore the rest.
Consider the source and where that person is coming from. Sometimes a comment reveals more about the person making it than it does about you. Richard Snowberg told me that one year every female staff member was severely criticized on one feedback form. They were able to identify that the person doing that was a woman who was jealous of those staff members. She was hoping that her criticism might result in them not being rehired which would create an opening for her to join the staff.
Some instructors and competition judges try to set themselves up as the ultimate authority. When somebody declares that their way of doing something is the only valid way, they are on an ego trip. Variety entertainment is a creative art form with many effective approaches. A good instructor will explain that their method is just one possible way.
Recognize personal attacks and rise above them. Unfortunately, people sometimes use the critique or judging process to inflate their self-esteem by tearing down others. If they use the word “you” a lot in their comments that may be what they are doing. Realizing that can help protect your own ego. Remember that the problem is with them, not with you. There is nothing that you can do to change them. Take a deep breath, listen to what they say, take everything useful that you can find, and try to forget the rest.
You will get contrasting advice, and must decide which you will follow. I entered the children’s entertainment competition at a magic convention. One of the judges wrote that the music I had used was terrible and should never be used again. Another judge wrote that he loved my music. Later in the day, he sought me out to ask where I had obtained that music so that he could purchase his own copy. I continued to use that music for several more years.
We are all a little masochistic. We quickly pay attention to negative comments and give them more credibility. We sometimes dismiss compliments because we think the person is just being polite.
I once was given a list of fifteen comments made by a group of people about one of my classes. Five of them were very complimentary. Eight were moderately complimentary. Two were negative. Those two comments seemed to leap off the page. I focused on them and ignored the others. My immediate reaction was that I had failed. That was not true.
Not only do we tend to give negative comments more credibility, but comments may tend to be disproportionately negative. People who have a complaint are often more likely to express their opinion. I recently found a sheet of participant comments from my first time on Clown Camp Staff in 1990. I was surprised that every comment about my classes was negative. If I had gone entirely by those comments, I may not have returned as a staff member. At that time Clown Camp had a program called the Red Nose Philosopher. Each year participants voted for the instructors they thought did the best job. Irene Doll and I were named Red Nose Philosophers in 1990. So, during the same year, a minority of the participants thought I did a poor job while the majority thought I did a great job.
When you receive comments, either verbally during a critique or written from feedback forms. Skim them quickly, and then put them away. Look at them again later after your emotional response has died down. Then focus first on the positive comments. Finally consider the negative comments. Is there something valuable that you can learn from them? If you decide that they are not a valid criticism, try to forget them.
However, do not dismiss negative comments too quickly. I was the headliner at a regional clown convention. Lee Mullally was the group’s education director. After the convention, he sent me all the comments about my classes that had been on the feedback forms. There was only one negative comment. I had used a PowerPoint presentation as part of a general session that I presented. Somebody commented that they could not see what was on the screen because I blocked their view when I stood at the podium to speak. I told Lee that I did not think that was a valid criticism because there had been a lot of empty seats at that session so they could have easily moved to where they could see the screen.
Lee’s response was that technically I was right, but there might be something of value to learn from the comment. He said that the hotel set the podium up on the front edge of the stage because the further away you are from your audience the more difficult it is to connect with them. However, as the presenter it was my responsibility to ensure everyone could see. He suggested that when I use a PowerPoint program in the future, I do what I can to be at the same level as the screen by either requesting that the screen be moved forward or that I move back so that I am beside it.
The critique is to provide you with information. If you do not understand a comment, ask for clarification.
Sometimes a person presenting a critique will use a term and act like everybody should know what it means. Do not worry about appearing foolish. Be willing to say, “I have not heard that before. Can you explain what it means?”
If you do not understand a comment, that does not mean you are stupid. It means that the person presenting the critique has failed to communicate effectively. A good instructor will look for new ways to explain what they mean. They will keep trying until they discover something that clicks.
Keep asking questions until you know what they mean or you realize that they do not know either. Some instructors repeat things that they have heard other instructors use without understanding it themselves.
A critique is valuable only if you act upon the information obtained.
Do not let yourself be overwhelmed. You may feel that you have failed completely and have to start over or abandon a project entirely. That usually is not necessary.
Start positive. What strengths were identified in the act that you had critiqued? How can you strengthen them in the current act? How can you take greater advantage of them in the other routines/acts that you currently perform?
Now look at the possible improvements. Evaluate priority and impact. What things do you want to change right away because that will make a great difference in audience response to your act? What are the easiest ways to make those changes? What changes can wait because they will have a smaller impact?
Look for easy ways to try changes that also limit risks. For example, a clown might experiment with a new makeup design after a performance. Removing the makeup just around your mouth and then applying the new design takes a few minutes. It is okay if you do not like that design because you are going to be taking your makeup off any way.
Make a list of your strengths and possible improvements. During the artist phase of developing your next project consult your list and see how many of its items you can incorporate.
If you are not prepared to make changes to what you do, then getting a critique is a waste of time.
Often clowns say that they cannot change something because it is their trademark. They resist changes even when what they are doing is detrimental to their performances. In his early films, W. C. Films wore a horrible fake mustache made from crepe hair. He had started using it when he appeared as a Tramp clown to distinguish his appearance from that of other Tramp clowns. Even after he stopped using his Tramp makeup, he insisted on using the mustache because he felt his fans would not recognize him without it. After he stopped using the mustache, his facial expressions were easier to see. He became an even greater star. At the height of his career, the public would not have recognized him wearing the mustache.
Your trademark may not be as important as you think. Others may not even notice it. When I became a Tramp clown, I used a painted-on tear drop to distinguish me from other Tramp clowns. I was surprised how long it took people to notice the tear drop during my eleven seasons at Raging Waters. Many of the employees would see me five days a week during the entire summer. I knew some of those people for several years before they would suddenly ask me why I had decided to paint a tear drop on my face that day. They did not believe me when I explained that the tear drop had always been there and they had simply not noticed it.
If possible, make changes based on a critique. Then get another critique. Did your changes work? What other improvements can you make in the future?
Excerpted from The Creative Process for Variety Artists by Bruce “Charlie” Johnson
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