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TheatreLouisville interviews Judy Egerton, page 3
From Verbal to VisualWhile making her living with words, Judy embraces her visual side during her free time. "I've been a painter for the past 15 years, so I've sort of enjoyed that shift," she tells us. She has sold quite a few paintings this year. Although her work encompasses a wide range of subjects, she's currently focusing on a series called Fruit in Motion and at Rest. A painting from this series, Snuggling Pears, will be on display at Actors Theatre of Louisville in October, as part of Aqueous, a national juried watercolor show sponsored annually by the Kentucky Watercolor Society. She describes these paintings as showing a departure from the loose, flowing styles that many people associate with watercolors, using glazes of color instead. The technique involves repeatedly painting over an area to give the subject an undercoat, while also adding depth. 
On Being a Good ReviewerAsked for any advice she can offer new reviewers, Judy replies that she thinks they should read the scripts, although she recognizes that occasional or freelance reviewers may not always have the time or the access to them. "I think it's important to know the words on the page as the playwright has written them ... and to know when the play was written, and the context, and to start from there. And then, knowing that, see what the director chooses to do." She also advocates reviewers keeping a respectful distance from what they write. "I think critics do their readers a disservice when they're too much in the review -- you know, when the critic becomes the review. I think it's okay to say, 'I liked it,' or 'I didn't like it,' or 'I felt this, or that,' but I don't think you're sharing information about the work when it's all about the reviewer's experience." She states that it's important to say how and what the reviewer felt about a production, but as the starting point, not the goal. One of Judy's biggest challenges is covering the annual Humana Festival of New American Plays. She generally covers it all, and says that the C-J is good about letting her devote her time to that. A lot of background work is involved. By the time she writes, she usually has already interviewed all the playwrights, and perhaps the director. She has usually talked with the artistic director at length, and she has requested and read all the scripts. She laughs when asked whether having read a script causes her to become distracted when an actor flubs a line. "Well, you know, they change a lot. I might get an early version and read that, and then I think, 'That's not what was in the script.'" Because these are new and groundbreaking works, change is part of the process. She reads the scripts early, so that when she interviews the playwright, she'll have knowledgeable questions prepared. "And then I can let that rest until I see it," she says, "and when I see it, it's fresher." A Reader-Driven MediumJudy encourages readers to tell the C-J what they would like, and what stories they'd like to see covered. "Sometimes people say, 'Why don't you ever cover...' and I didn't even know it existed. They're welcome to call me and tell me about a story." But on the other hand, "Then you have the other people that call to ask you stuff like, 'I was watching a movie at 2:00 a.m., and so-and-so was in it, and I can't think of their name. And I can't think of the movie, and I can't think of when I saw it, but could you tell me who that was?' And I'm like, 'I have no clue.'" Good WishesA warm and friendly woman with a ready smile and a lively sense of humor, Judy was amused to become the interviewee. "It's usually the other way around," she laughs. "One reason I'm a journalist is that I like to ask the questions. I'd rather be in the audience watching someone else than be on the stage being watched." And she did ask us questions, for a full 20 minutes. We were glad to answer. She also wishes us the best of luck with theatrelouisville.org, saying that it's a great addition to the city's resources. As for the future, she plans to continue following her career and following her heart. "I guess I'll be a writer forever," she says, "but I'd rather just be painting now." You can view Judy's artwork at Judith Egerton, Artist: (http://www.judithegerton.com/). ___________
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