‘Talking sense’ about art: Evaluation of theatre as a social process

ABSTRACT This article is concerned with collective judgement-making in the theatre field. Using the empirical case of expert theatre panels, it explores the rules of communicating, testing, and validating judgements in social interactions. The research is based on interviews with 30 theatre critics who served on review panels at the National Contemporary Polish Drama Staging Competition. The results shed light on what kind of statements, behaviour, and actions are perceived as manifestations of rationality in group decision-making. The analysis of data allows to elucidate different tactics, strategies, and efforts – such as providing justifications or preserving emotional distance – undertaken by panel members to secure and cultivate what they believe is a proper evaluation.