Contact: Maridith Geuder
What started as an occasional column in Mississippi State's student newspaper is leading an aspiring theater critic to national recognition-and a possible career.
Thomas G. "Gabe" Smith of Hammond, La., a senior communication/theater and English double major at the university, recently was named a national Eugene O'Neill Theater Center Critics Institute Scholar. Presented by the Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festival, the competitive award covers all expenses for an intensive, two-week course that begins July 8 at the O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, N.Y.
While pursuing his degree at MSU, Smith has written theater and film reviews for "The Reflector," a position at the campus newspaper he hopes to continue in the fall semester.
"I've always loved writing and I really love to act," said Smith, whose non-academic credits include a number of MSU and Starkville Community Theater productions.
As a cast member in the communication department's spring semester production of "The Imaginary Invalid," he competed in the regional American College Theater Festival in Savannah, Ga. Though Smith rated his theatrical execution in Savannah as "very poor," he said the experience served as an introduction to the Critics Institute training program.
"As a good combination of English and theater, it sounded interesting," he added.
In the regional competition, he and some two dozen other students were required to attend four theatrical shows over a 48-hour period, then write a critical review of each. A jury of professional writers critiqued the submissions and determined the overall winner.
After the regional win, Smith employed his writing skills and critical eye in leading seven other challengers in national competition.
Witness his review of "Wax Work," a play featuring the hand-crafted figure of Elvis Presley: "Are you lonesome tonight? Little lady sent you packing for a night in Heartbreak Hotel? Bored? Easily amused by Elvis jokes staler than last month's peanut butter and banana sandwiches? Answer 'yes' to any of these questions and USC-Aiken's production of 'Wax Work' may be your hunka-hunka-burnin' love."
Smith is quick to admit that keeping his observations lively and refreshing after grueling, non-stop hours of focused concentration is much harder than it seems.
"After seeing a show, we'd have overnight to write our reviews," he explained. At first, he took detailed notes on each program. Realizing that "you miss an overall impression by doing that," he shifted to an intense observation of the performances, averting his attention to note only a few things he wished to recall in the review.
At next month's O'Neill Institute, he'll work alongside professional theater critics and arts writers to further hone his skills. Since the program was founded in 1968, the experience has benefited some 300 writers, including journalists from the Boston Globe, Detroit Free Press, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Associated Press, among others.
Even though his career is just beginning, Smith already has learned some valuable lessons.
"The important thing about being a critic is that you can't be glib or dishonest," he said. "In a short time, you may not be able to process everything about a movie or play. You have to admit your limitations."