STAGE

St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press & Dispatch drama critic David Hawley resigned Wednesday after admitting to “blatant plagiarism” by appropriating portions of a New York Times review as his own. In his final column, Hawley said he studied articles and reviews about “Good,” a play by C.P. Taylor, when it was performed in other cities. “My own piece contained material from a review by Frank Rich printed Oct. 14, 1982, in the New York Times,” wrote Hawley, who brought the problem to the attention of his editors. Hawley, the paper’s drama critic for 9 1/2 years, said the plagiarism was discovered by a reader, who sent him a personal letter. “My reaction was first surprise, then shock, then humiliation. Clearly, I have forfeited any right to work as a drama critic,” Hawley said. Hawley said his resignation as a drama critic was accepted on Friday, but he will remain at the paper in a different capacity.