Enter, stage right: the Internet.

Exit, stage left: professional theater critics.

According to Alisa Solomon, professor of journalism at Columbia University, there are only 20 people in the United States now making livings as professional theater critics. Instead of the promised democratization and increased journalistic discourse the Internet was supposed to bring, she said the professional writing world has become less diverse in the last decade.

Solomon spoke as part of a panel on "The State of Current Theater Criticism," March 28 at the Cornell Club to celebrate this year's George Jean Nathan Award going to Charles McNulty, chief theater critic for the Los Angeles Times. The award, administered by Cornell's Department of English, is given for the best piece of drama criticism during the theatrical year.

McNulty joined Solomon on the panel, along with Michael Feingold, chief theater critic for the Village Voice; and Charles Isherwood, theater critic for the New York Times; the three are previous winners of the Nathan Award.

"Having an award that recognizes what we offer in this culture is so important," said McNulty, pointing out that with the advent of the Internet, the quality of writing has become less important than quantity and speed of posting.

"People who think of writers as content providers don't care if you do it well or not," said Feingold. Readers tend to skim the first few paragraphs and move on -- often missing the point the full article conveys, said Isherwood.

The new paywall instituted by The New York Times met with approval from the panelists, who decried an Internet culture where people expect to get everything for free. "Writing is a very expensive undertaking," said McNulty. "It takes a lot of time, a lot of expertise, and it takes editors and copyeditors -- a community to make it happen."

Panelists felt that the advent of bloggers and social media sites has significantly decreased their influence as theater critics.

"And commercial theater is squeezing out everything else," said Isherwood. As a solution, he suggested that rather than reviewing big Broadway productions, critics should bring attention to young, off-Broadway artists.

Though with writing now seen as a commodity, Isherwood admitted, there may not be anyone willing to pay.

Theater, film and dance professor J. Ellen Gainor recalled George Jean Nathan '04 in her introduction as having been America's most prominent and influential theater critic when he endowed the award.

Linda B. Glaser is a staff writer for the College of Arts and Sciences.