Some people love Richard Crittenden, some do not. His workshops are very
beneficial for a singing actor who has little stage experience and/or one who
responds well to the idea of planning every movement and position within a
musical/dramatic moment. Improvisation and instinct are not highly valued in
his method, nor is play. It isn't that he is autocratic but rather that he
prefers a highly choreographed presentation. No method acting for him! A
lot depends on how you work and what you hope to accomplish and learn. I
personally do my best work in an atmosphere of freedom and play and
experimentation, and so he and I were not a great fit. On the other hand, my
performance emphasis reaches FAR beyond opera, and it may be that his ideas
are best suited to operatic singing.
One other good news/bad news point: he is very experienced and knows a lot of
stories. He's been known to get carried away in telling the stories at the
expense of doing the present work. (Some of the stories are very funny,
though!)
I'd be curious to know who is teaching the program at New England
Conservatory, Vanessa. I'm also a Boston singer and might be able to give
you some descriptive information. You can email me privately if you want at
omi@u....
Naomi Gurt Lind
|
