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
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