I’ve decided to write a blog of reviews of theatre shows that I see. I'm doing this for several reasons:
- · I’m writing a lot at the moment but not really finishing things. So it’s forcing me to write, finish it and put it in the public domain.
- · I often want to have conversations about shows that I’ve seen- with the makers of the shows and fellow audience members- but there often isn't time. Hopefully this blog will be a way of having those conversations.
- · I hope to inspire more debate about the kind of theatre we make and the kind of theatre we see, what it says, how it says it and why.
I'm giving myself a few guidelines:
- · I know that making a show is a huge amount of work, and a risk. Anyone making theatre deserves congratulations for that work and taking that risk. So even if I hate a show I will try to remain encouraging and constructive.
- · I think content matters. I don’t want to review as if what a piece of theatre says about the world is irrelevant.
- · I think context matters. Ticket price, the size of a venue, whether the performers are being paid or not, need to be taken into account. I don’t want to pan shows that don’t have the resources to be more than they are.
- · I hate reviews that don’t engage with the aims of those who created the work, or what the reviewer thinks those aims might have been. At the same time, I think those aims should be open to be debated.
- · I want to review as a conversation with the makers of a work and its viewers, not to say ‘Go and see this show’ or ‘Save your money’. Mostly my reviews will come out after the season is over.
It’s my hope people will write comments and debates will happen.
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