Theatre Reviews
Introduction
Theatre reviews are a useful tool for producers, directors, performers and other creatives involved in a production to gain insight into the audience's perspective of their production. Some creatives thrive off this form of feedback, while others disregard it completely. There is no blanket rule to writing reviews, as they are first and foremost subjective. In fact, theatre reviews are only reflective of one person's opinion of a single performance of an event that may run for weeks or months. However, in order to increase the integrity of a review there are important components to incorporate and reflect upon.
Publishers
Below is a list of platforms and organisations (mostly digital) that publish theatre reviews, particularly in South East Queensland, Australia. These are a great starting point for inspiration, to find examples and to learn more about how reviews are written.
Stage Whispers
Aussie Theatre
Theatre People
Scenestr
Theatre Haus
The Fourth Wall
Blue Curtains
Absolute Theatre
Examples
by Trent Sellars (Theatre Haus)
Template
Tips and Tricks
Some key points to consider when writing a review:
Theatre reviews should be clear and concise. Not every aspect, cast or crew member, needs to be listed or analysed, don't just rewrite the program.
All factual material must be correct. This means double checking the spelling of names, dates, and the original work.
The opinion presented should be firm and assertive, not wishy-washy and unsure.
A review can be either negative or positive but all claims must be supported with evidence, details or examples from the performance.
Use creative language and a personal style is acceptable, a review is subjective after all.