I Didn’t See It, But I Didn’t Like It: Criticism Writing Club

THIS CRITICISM WRITING CLUB…

• …is finally really about criticism writing: not a report, not a review, not the AI-tuned text of a Facebook event.
• …embraces being subjective, taking an individual stance, acknowledging that an opinion is not a “universal truth,” that every pair of glasses is a different filter, and that there is room for “in my opinion.”
• …does not seek to shape taste or opinion. Instead, it responds to what is seen in a layered and sensitive way: colliding perspectives, sensitivities, and interpretations.
• …does not only think, but also feels, like a performance. It beats, pulses, asks, probes, raises things, gets lost, reappears. Or not.
• …is experimental. Sometimes it has an arc, sometimes it does not. Sometimes it is coherent, sometimes it is not. It does not fit in. It is neither predictable nor easily categorizable. It experiments and plays with new languages, forms, and dramaturgies.
• …does not humiliate, but neither does it flatter. It is almost feedback — or rather feed back: it feeds something back.
• …is critical and analytical at once: it contextualizes, looks for connections, asks questions, and takes risks.
• …does not make comparisons, does not place the author’s erudition in focus, does not build a position for itself by making sure you do not understand a single word, does not box things in, and does not get personal. It analyzes, and interprets the work in light of artistic intention.

STRUCTURE:

3 sessions = 3 performances

Over the course of the three sessions, we will watch one performance together each time. After the performance, a 90-minute session follows, where we discuss what we have seen. Through various creative exercises, the facilitators help participants learn how to ask questions (session 1), find connections and analyze (session 2), and contextualize and structure (session 3).

WHO IS THE COURSE FOR?

• Those interested in criticism as a genre in the philosophical sense, and as a framework.
• Those who enjoy thinking together, watching performances, and asking questions.
• Those interested not only in critical but also in analytical thinking, meaning the connections behind things.
• Those who would rather ask questions than make assertions, and who openly embrace the assumptions within their thought process: “provided that…”, “if I start from the assumption that…”, “let us suppose…”
• Artists who find it difficult to write about their own work.
• Non-artists who would like to get closer to the world of performance.
• Those who have opinions, but find it difficult to structure them.
• Those who would like to grow as part of a creative community.

DETAILS:

• 3 sessions
• Dates:
• April 25, 19:00–20:00 (performance) + 20:00–21:30 (course)
• June 6, 19:00–20:00 (performance) + 20:00–21:30 (course)
• June 17, 19:00–20:00 (performance) + 20:00–21:30 (course)
• Venue: Anna Ádám Studio (27 Stromfeld Aurél út, 1124 Budapest)

APPLICATION:

• Participation is subject to selection.
• Application deadline: March 30, 2026
• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so we recommend that you do not leave it until the last minute.
• Maximum number of participants: 10 people

HOW TO APPLY

Send your application to: [email protected]

Please include:

• A piece of your own writing (this can be a review, essay, blog post, notes, anything).
• A few words about yourself.
• Tell us how long you have been writing, and why you would like to participate in the program.

If admitted successfully, your place can be confirmed окончательно by paying the course fee.

PARTICIPATION FEE:

12,000 HUF, which includes:

• 3 course sessions
• 3 performances

PROFESSIONAL LEADERS:

Leaders of the School of Disobedience’s “Somatic Writing & Textual Art” and “Own Volume” courses:

• Anna Ádám: Artist, cultural entrepreneur. Dreamer and director of the School of Disobedience, co-founder, artistic director and choreographer of the Gray Box company, founder, professional lead, and producer of the Performance Now! Festival.
• Fruzsi Kovai: Intermedia artist, researcher, illustrator, writer, and MA graduate in Film, Literature, and Cultural Studies.