It was so refreshing to read such an insightful and educational theatre review. I especially enjoyed the historical perspective. Keep up the good work!Marty Simonsen
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Roy Berko is a member of The Cleveland Critics Circle, The American Critics Association and Dance Critics Association. In 2013 he was selected as the Top Midwest Editor/Reviewer by BroadwayWorld.com. He is a college professor of communication, theatre and psychology, author of thirty-eight books, and a consultant. He is a certified Life Coach, Reiki practitioner, and a nationally certified Hypnotherapist. Roy has been granted Diplomate Status in the area of Professional Counseling by the International Academy of Behavioral Medicine, Counseling and Psychotherapy. He was elected to membership on the Elyria (Ohio) Board of Education and served as its President. He was selected by the Charles F. Brush High School (South Euclid-Lyndhurst, OH) Alumni Association to be inducted into the school's Wall of Achievement. His reviews and commentaries can be found on BroadwayWorld.com, CoolCleveland.com, posted on www.royberko.info, theatercriticism.com and mailed directly to a large list of subscribers via Mailchimp. To contact Roy email him at drberko@yahoo.com.
Dr. Roy Berko
Roy Berko is a member of The Cleveland Critics Circle, The American Critics Association and Dance Critics Association. In 2013 he was selected as the Top Midwest Editor/Reviewer by BroadwayWorld.com. He is a college professor of communication, theatre and psychology, author of thirty-eight books, and a consultant. He is a certified Life Coach, Reiki practitioner, and a nationally certified Hypnotherapist. Roy has been granted Diplomate Status in the area of Professional Counseling by the International Academy of Behavioral Medicine, Counseling and Psychotherapy. He was elected to membership on the Elyria (Ohio) Board of Education and served as its President. He was selected by the Charles F. Brush High School (South Euclid-Lyndhurst, OH) Alumni Association to be inducted into the school's Wall of Achievement. His reviews and commentaries can be found on BroadwayWorld.com, CoolCleveland.com, posted on www.royberko.info, theatercriticism.com and mailed directly to a large list of subscribers via Mailchimp. To contact Roy email him at drberko@yahoo.com.
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PHILOSOPHY OF REVIEWING
Every reviewer has a philosophy that he or she carries into the entertainment venue. I perceive theatre and dance as educational tools. The creator has something to say. He or she conceives the work to represent that message. Since the arts represent the era from which they come, often the message centers on a reflection of the society at the time. Sometimes the conceiver wants to purely entertain, with no message for the audience to carry out of the performance. Whatever the goal, I think it is my obligation as a reviewer/critic to evaluate whether the writer or choreographer succeeded in developing a clear message.
From the standpoint of the production the major question is whether the director brought forth the intent and purpose of the creator of the manuscript or dance. Do the actors and/or dancers clearly develop their roles with proficiency? Do the technical aspects aid in creating the proper illusions?
I also feel it is my responsibility to explain such things as the background of the writer or dance creator, how the audience reacted during and after the performance, what other factors will help the reader understand the background of the material, and why I commented as I did.
One of the challenges of being a critic is realizing that no one likes to be negatively evaluated. Unfortunately, when one actively participates in a theatrical or dance performance activity, whether on-stage or backstage, her/his work becomes open to commentary. In doing that commentary, I try to be honest, explain why I reacted as I did, and stay open to the concept that reviewing, itself, is an art form, not a science.
HOW TO SEARCH THIS SITE
There are three ways to search this site:
LABELS - Under the VENUE, REVIEWS, REVIEWER REVIEWS section (in this column), click on any of the headings to retrieve all of the posts. (e.g. clicking 'Beck Center' will bring up all of the news/reviews about Beck Center.)
BLOG ARCHIVE - In this column, search for articles by date. If you see a triangle, click it to expand that section.
SEARCH - In the upper left corner of this site is a white search box. Type in your search criteria (i.e. an actor's name, the name of a show, etc.) and click the "SEARCH THIS BLOG" box next to the search box. The page will refresh with any articles that match your criteria.
VENUES, REVIEWS, REVIEWER REVIEWS
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- NEW YORK
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- PILOBOLUS
- Play House Square
- PLAYGROUND FESTIVAL OF NEW WORKS
- playhouse square
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- preview
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- Red{the orchestra}
- Review of Reviewer's review
- Reviews
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- theatre ninjas
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- Verb Ballets
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- VINEYARD PLAYHOUSE--STREAMED
- Weathervane
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REVIEWS ARRANGED BY YEAR
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▼
2005
(121)
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May
(10)
- Chorus Line (Carousel Dinner Theatre)
- Ohio Ballet - Playhouse Square
- Talley's Folly (Ensemble Theatre)
- The Secretaries (Cleveland Public Theatre)
- To Know Him (Jewish Community Center)
- Oklahoma (Playhouse Square Center)
- Marty Simonsen reviews the reviewer
- Battery (convergence-continuum)
- Bad Dates (Cleveland Play House)
- Anyone Can Whistle (Willoughby Fine Arts)
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▼
May
(10)
ROY'S THEATRE EXPERIENCE
| Acting: | |
| The Wall | The Fifth Season |
| Black Chiffon | The Sold Gold Cadillac |
| The Torchbearers | You Can't Take it With You |
| Cheaper by the Dozen | Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs |
| Picnic (Twice) | This Property is Condemned |
| Our Town (Twice) | The Cold Wind and the Warm |
| Special Guest | Tony n' Tina's Wedding |
| Directing: | |
| Carousel (Twice) | Annie Get Your Gun (Twice) |
| The Rape of the Belt | Thurber Carnival |
| Special Guest (Twice) | The Owl and thr Pussycat |
| The Apple Tree | Aria De Capa |
| Subway Circus (Premiere) | Solid Gold Cadillac (Twice) |
| Picnic | Fantastics (Twice) |
| The Property is Condemned | You're a Good Man Charlie Brown |
| Fiddler on the Roof | Godspell (Twice) |
| Annie | Far From The Value of Green |
| Pippin | Our Town |
| Butterflies are Free | Vanities |
| Music Man | Man in The Moon Marigolds |
| Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | I Never Saw Another Butterfly |
| Commercials and Print | |
| Coca-Cola | Penney's |
| Wyse men's Store | Pease for Congress |
| First Alert | Gleem Toothpaste Hospice of the Western Reserve |
| Cleveland Indians | |
| Films: | |
| The Christmas Story | American Splendor |
| Media: •Broadwayworld.com--Theater reviewer | |
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ROY'S PUBLICATIONS
ROY'S BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS AUTHORED AND CO-AUTHORED
• Berko, Roy, Andrew Wolvin, Darlyn Wolvin and Joan Aitken, COMMUNICATING: A SOCIAL, CAREER AND CULTURAL FOCUS, 12th ed. (Boston, MA: Pearson Allyn
Bacon, 2012)
•Aitken, Joan and Berko, Roy, INSTRUCTOR'S MANUAL, COMMUNICATING: A SOCIAL, CAREER AND CULTURAL FOCUS, 12th edition (Boston, MA: Pearson Allyn Bacon, 2012)
•Berko, Roy, Aitken, Joan and Wolvin, Andrew, ICOMM: FOUNDATIONS OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION (New York, NY: Rowman Littlfield, 2011)
•Berko, Roy and LAURA JANUSIK, INSTRUCTOR'S MANUAL, COMMUNICATING: A SOCIAL AND CAREER FOCUS,1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10th eds. (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin).
• Berko, Roy, Andrew Wolvin, Darlyn Wolvin and Joan Aitken, COMMUNICATING: A SOCIAL, CAREER AND CULTURAL FOCUS, 12th ed. (Boston, MA: Pearson Allyn
Bacon, 2012)
•Aitken, Joan and Berko, Roy, INSTRUCTOR'S MANUAL, COMMUNICATING: A SOCIAL, CAREER AND CULTURAL FOCUS, 12th edition (Boston, MA: Pearson Allyn Bacon, 2012)
•Berko, Roy, Aitken, Joan and Wolvin, Andrew, ICOMM: FOUNDATIONS OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION (New York, NY: Rowman Littlfield, 2011)
•Berko, Roy and LAURA JANUSIK, INSTRUCTOR'S MANUAL, COMMUNICATING: A SOCIAL AND CAREER FOCUS,1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10th eds. (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin).
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Berko, Roy, Andrew Wolvin and Darlyn Wolvin. COMMUNICATING: A SOCIAL AND CAREER FOCUS, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th eds. (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin).
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Wolvin, Andrew, Roy Berko, Darlyn Wolvin, THE PUBLIC SPEAKER/THE PUBLIC LISTENER, 2ND EDITION (Los Angeles: Roxbury Press), 1999
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Wolvin, Andrew, Roy Berko, Darlyn Wolvin, INSTRUCTOR’S MANUAL, THE PUBLIC SPEAKER/THE PUBLIC LISTENER, 2ND EDITION (Los Angeles: Roxbury Press), 1999
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Berko, Roy and Linda Webster, “Assessment: What is it: Why do we need it? How do we use it?” Popular Measurement (Spring, 1998), pp. 43-44.
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Berko, Roy, Sherwyn Morreale, Pamela Cooper and Carolyn Perry,”Communication Standards and Competencies for Kindergarten through Grade 12: The Role of the National Communication Association, Communication Education Volume 47, #2, April, 1998.
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Berko, Roy and Linda Webster, “Assessment: What is it? Why do we need it? How do we use it?,” Popular Measurement, Journal of the Institute for Objective Measurement, Volume 1, #1, April 1998.
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Roy Berko, Andrew Wolvin, Rebecca Ray, BUSINESS COMMUNICATION IN A CHANGING WORLD (New York: St. Martin’s Press), 1997.
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Roy Berko and Joan Aitken, INSTRUCTOR’S MANUAL FOR BUSINESS COMMUNICATION IN A CHANGING WORLD (New York: St. Martin’s Press), 1997.
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Roy Berko, Lawrence Rosenfeld, and Larry Samovar, CONNECTING: A CULTURE-SENSITIVE APPROACH TO INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION COMPETENCY 2nd ed., (Glenview, Illinois: Scott Foresman), 1997.
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Joan Aitken and Roy Berko, INSTRUCTOR’S MANUAL FOR CONNECTING: A CULTURE SENSITIVE APPROACH TO INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION COMPETENCY 2nd ed., (Glenview, Illinois: Scott Foresman), 1997.
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Berko, Roy and Megan Brooks, Pathways To Careers In Communication, 4th ed. (Annandale, VA: Speech Communication Association), 1995.
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Berko, Roy, INCREASING ORAL COMMUNICATION (SPEAKING AND LISTENING) ACHIEVEMENT IN GRADES K-12 (Annandale, VA: Speech Communication Association), 1994.
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Berko, Roy, Lawrence Rosenfeld and Larry Samovar, CONNECTING: A CULTURE-SENSITIVE APPROACH TO INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION COMPETENCY (Ft. Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace), 1994.
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Aitken, Joan and Roy Berko, INSTRUCTOR’S MANUAL, CONNECTING: A CULTURE-SENSITIVE APPROACH TO INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION COMPETENCY (Ft. Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace), 1994
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Berko, Roy, ed., SPEAKING AND LISTENING COMPETENCIES FOR ELEMENTARY THROUGH HIGH SCHOOLS (Annandale, VA: Speech Communication Association), 1994.
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Berko, Roy and Megan Brooks, GRADUATE DIRECTORY OF SPEECH COMMUNICATION, (Annandale, VA: Speech Communication Association) , 1994.
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Berko, Roy and Megan Brooks, eds., RATIONALE KIT: INFORMATION SUPPORTING THE SPEECH COMMUNICATION DISCIPLINE AND IT’S PROGRAMS, (Annandale, VA: Speech Communication Association), 1994.
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Berko, Roy and Megan Brooks, ed., CONSULTING AND PROGRAM ASSESSMENT SERVICE (Annandale, VA: Speech Communication Association), 1994, 1993.
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Berko Roy, Andrew Wolvin, Darlyn Wolvin, THE PUBLIC SPEAKER/THE PUBLIC LISTENER (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin), 1993.
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Berko Roy, Andrew Wolvin, Darlyn Wolvin, INSTRUCTOR’S MANUAL, THE PUBLIC SPEAKER/THE PUBLIC LISTENER (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin), 1993.
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Berko, Roy and Megan Brooks, eds., BOOKS AND SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS IN COMMUNICATION, (Annandale, VA: Speech Communication Association), 1993.
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Rosenfeld, Lawrence and Roy Berko, COMMUNICATING WITH COMPETENCY (Glenview, Illinois: Scott Foresman), 1990.
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Rosenfeld, Lawrence and Roy Berko, COMMUNICATING WITH COMPETENCY, Instructor's Manual and Test Bank (Glenview, Illinois: Scott Foresman), 1990.
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Berko, Roy, Andrew Wolvin, Ray Curtis, THIS BUSINESS OF COMMUNICATING, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th eds, (Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown).
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Berko, Roy, Andrew Wolvin, Ray Curtis, INSTRUCTOR'S MANUAL, THIS BUSINESS OF COMMUNICATING, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th eds, (Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown).
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Berko, Roy, Fran Bostwick, Maria Miller. BASICALLY COMMUNICATING: AN ACTIVITY APPROACH, 1st, 2nd ed. (Dubuque, Iowa: William C. Brown, 1989).
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EDUCATION IN THE 80'. (Washington, D. C.: National Education Association, 1981). "Chapter 3."
COMPUTER PROGRAMS AND AUDIO TAPES:
- Berko, Roy, "Three Audio Tapes to Teach Communication Strategies," IACA, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
- Morreale, Sherwyn, Roger Hamilton, Roy Berko, Assessing Motivation to Communicate (AMTC)
ROY'S CONSULTING AND COUNSELING SERVICES
SERVICES AVAILABLE:
- Public Speaking Training
- Parliamentary Procedure Officiating
- Conflict Resolution Guidance
- Life Coaching (problem solving skills, intrapersonal conflict resolution, life style advice, self-concept enhancement)
- Organizational Communication Audits
- Mediation Services
COUNSELING: PERSONAL AND GROUP
Modalities of treatment:
Gestalt Therapy, Choice Therapy, Directed Intervention, Ericksonian Hypnosis, Systematic Desensitization, Crisis Intervention
Specialties:
•Couples counseling
•Teen counseling
•Gay & Lesbian Issues (coming out, gay/bisexual men in heterosexual marriages, dating, relational conflict, transgender issues
•Stress reduction
•Phobias
•Incest and rape (male and female)
•Shyness
•Self-concept enhancement
•Life style issues
•Crisis intervention
•Mediation
WORKSHOP TOPICS:
- Safe Schools Are For Everyone--Stopping Bullying in the Schools
- Safe Schools Are For Everyone--Legal and ethical issues of dealing with Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, Bisexual and Questioning Youth
- Your Body Speaks Louder Than Your Mouth: Nonverbal Communication in Organizations
- Male-Female Communication
- Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
- Communication Problems in the Workplace
- Improving Teaching in the Classroom
- Ethical/Legal Responsibilities of Counselors Regarding Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, Bisexual and Questioning Youth
- Parliamentary Procedure: How to Run a Successful Meeting
- Listening Improvement
- Leadership Improvement
FORMER BUSINESS, SOCIAL SERVICE AND EDUCATIONAL CLIENTS:
- Conrail (Philadelphia]
- Alexandria County [VA] Board of Mental Health
- CMG Health (Baltimore)
- Whitman-Walker Mental Health Clinic (Washington)
- Lincoln Assurance (Indiana)
- Lincoln Insurance (Indiana)
- Candadian Gas and Electric
- Omni Hotels (Baltimore)
- Stouffer Foods (Solon, Ohio)
- Kobe/U.S. Steel (Lorain, Ohio)
- Ford Motor Company (Lorain, Ohio)
- Ohio Radiological Association
- Amherst (Ohio) Hospital
- Lorain (Ohio) Hospital
- Cleveland Cotton Products (Mayfield Heights, Ohio)
- Nordson Corporation (Amherst, Ohio)
- Ridge Tool (Elyria, Ohio]
- Westinghouse/Bendix Brake Division (Elyria, Ohio)
- AFL-CIO (Lorain, Ohio)
- Lorain County (Ohio) Bar Association
- American Association Bank Women, Northeastern Chapter
- Lorain National Bank (Elyria, Ohio)
- Lakewood, Ohio Public Schools
- Elyria, Ohio Public Schools
- Lorain, Ohio Public Schools
- Cleveland Heights-University Heights, Ohio Board of Education
- International Secretaries Association
- Maryland Hotel Association (Baltimore)
- Maryland Society for the Blind (Baltimore)
- International Association of Chiropractic Assistants (Colorado Springs, CO)
- Charles Community College (Maryland)
- Prince George's Community College (Maryland)
- Oakland Community College (Michigan)
- Texas Communication Association
- Ohio Communication Association
- Lorain County Community College (Ohio)
- Washington D.C. Public Schools
- Ohio Counseling Association