Alum Lily Janiak Critiques Theatre with 'Heellllaaaa Evidence'

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO PATCH -- Janiak graduated Yale in 2008 with a degree in theatre and went on to do her Master’s at San Francisco State University, where she wrote her thesis on Young Jean Lee, who Janiak considers one of the most gifted and experimental playwrights of our time. She graduated in 2012 and returned the same year as a guest lecturer for SFSU’s Theatre GWAR (Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement) class, Writing About Theatre. While Janiak is aware that “critic” is one of the most formidable words in an artist’s vocabulary, she believes that good critique is not intended to hurt, but rather to aid a production. “It’s true that people may feel hurt by a review, but it can start a conversation that needs to be had.” There are times where she must critique an individual with whom she is acquainted. “I handle this situation by writing a very straight forward argument, and I just back it up every statement with heellllaaaa evidence,” Janiak says.