Florida Theatre Critic Christine Dolen Has Passed Away

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that South Florida theatre critic Christine Dolen has passed away. The news of her passing was shared on Facebook by her husband, John. According to the Miami Herald, she was 74 at the time of her passing.

"She passed on peacefully last night at home after suffering from a progressive lung disease, spending the last 10 months in home hospice care," John shared via Christine's Facebook page. "So many of you came to visit in lively lunches right up to the end, bringing her (and I) tons of joy. We thank you as well as the caring hospice staff and others who sent well-wishes. We plan to have a memorial celebration (not imminent) details to come. When I think of her, I think not only of her talent, and her warm companionship, but her kindness -- and especially her goodness. I could write a book but I'll stop there."

Christine Dolen holds a degree in journalism from The Ohio State University and was formerly a critic and editor with the Detroit Free Press before serving as the Miami Herald’s theater critic from 1979 to 2015. 

Dolen was a John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University in 1984-85, and a senior fellow at Columbia University’s National Arts Journalism program in 1999. In 1997, she was a member of the Pulitzer Prize drama jury.

Dolen received the Green Eyeshade in criticism from the Atlanta Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and first place in arts writing in the Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Awards. In 2001, she received the George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts. She has also been honored with a Silver Palm Award and the South Florida Theatre League’s Remy Award for her coverage of theater in the region. In November 2011, American Theatre Magazine named her as one of a dozen of the country’s most influential theater critics. She has contributed to both American Theatre and Inside Arts magazines, and was an editorial board member of Best Plays Theater Yearbook. She is also a judge with South Florida’s Carbonell Awards and with the Miami Herald’s Silver Knights program.

Later in life, she worked as a freelance critic, with work appearing on ArtburstMiami.com, MiamiHerald.com and SouthFlorida.com, as well as the Sun-Sentinel.