Welcome to the second of a new series celebrating female colleagues who engage with theatre as critics, reviewers, bloggers or content creators. I am using ‘theatre’ to encompass all live arts performances, and ‘reviewer’ to cover all those who add commentary on what they see.
The master list is at: https://loureviews.blog/spotlight-on-female-theatre-reviewers-bloggers-critics-and-content-creators/
If you would like to be profiled as part of this project, please get in touch.
Today, I turn my attention to Elaine Chapman at Theatre and Arts Reviews.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to be writing or creating content about theatre?
I first went to the Edinburgh Fringe ten years ago as a bucket list tick. As a massive fan of Alan Bennett, I was curious to know what the Edinburgh Fringe was. I met my friend Nina there, who was also ticking a bucket list box. We got chatting on the first night at a Hehning Veihn show, which was brilliant.
After that year, she said I ought to review Theatre, well I procrastinated for about a year and finally set up a blog just before going back to Edinburgh the following year. I remember saying to her, “Who’s going to want to read anything I have written!” Well… Here I am now.
If you have your own platform, when did it start, and how did you come up with the name? If you write for one or many platforms, which was the first and how did you become involved with it?
Started nine years ago. I didn’t actually put any consideration into the name, as I hadn’t considered it would go anywhere beyond a year, simply put down what I was going to write about.
I have written for London Theatre Reviews, London Theatre1 and London Pub Theatres. I literally pestered them on Twitter and hounded people to review. Honestly, it was a crazy time, and I worked really hard, learning all the time.
I really liked being part of My Theatre Mates.
What kind of shows do you cover, and in which geographical areas?
To be honest, I will cover most things. Nina now writes for me too and loves Dance and the Southbank Centre, so I don’t have to pretend I know what I am talking about, as it’s not my strong point.
The darker the better, really, if I have a preference.
I cover London, Winchester, the South of England, Edinburgh Fringe, and Brighton Fringe.
How would you describe yourself (reviewer, critic, content creator, YouTuber, influencer, other)?
Reviewer mainly. I advertise a bit on my site at the Edinburgh Fringe and will do interviews and features.
I will put videos on TikTok with the Theatre’s permission.
Nobody needs to be influenced by me, haha.
Why do you continue to engage with theatre?
Fringe Theatre is exciting, and the buzz in Edinburgh is incredible. I love watching creatives experiment. It also keeps me up to date with things that change, that I don’t necessarily understand.
What’s the one thing that would make the theatre reviewing/content creating space easier for you personally, and/or for your platform?
An infinite budget, as I cover all travel costs, and it is not cheap. I do what I can, but at the moment I have no choice but to be careful.
Do you have a favourite show – and any you particularly dislike(d)?
Favourite, no, not really. One of the best shows I have seen was The Signalman at The Bread and Roses and A Letter to Boddah at the Edinburgh Fringe. I honestly believed there was a bomb in his rucksack. That’s why I love Fringe.
Dislike- I make no secret of how much I dislike The Rocky Horror Show. I just don’t get it. I see it has a huge fan base, and that’s great. I wouldn’t argue why I don’t like it; it’s just not for me.
The theatre commentary space is wide and diverse – is there any other female reviewer/content creator you would recommend, and why?
Obviously yourself as we have got to know each other well over the years.
Mary Pollard at Everything Theatre is a huge supporter of Children’s Theatre, which is underrepresented and knows more about puppetry than anyone I know. Check out her work.
What’s the biggest change you have noticed in the theatre space since you started contributing to it?
The noise in Theatre spaces from the audience and the use of mobile phones. Really irritates me and so selfish too. Does it really hurt to be offline for a couple of hours?
On a positive note, there’s a breakdown of some of the snobbery about reviewers. With cutbacks for paid reviews, there’s a huge market for those who do what we do.
My motto is never look down on anyone, as you never know where they will end up.
And which social networks are you most active on? If you are not on any, what is your opinion of their place in theatre reviewing/content creation?
Probably Instagram. Although it is then linked to my Facebook and Threads accounts. I am on X (Twitter) too (@ElaineC_Reviews).
To be honest social media is the best platform for posting as it reaches more people all over the world. I rarely post personal things as I am actually quite private.
Can you pinpoint one of your best reviews, features, or videos?
http://theatreandartreviews.com/2019/08/16/letter-to-boddah-by-watershed-productions/
How can people contact you who want to promote a show?
Emailing me is probably the easiest at Elaine_chapman@rocketmail.com, although anyone is welcome to contact me on social media, and I try my best to reply.
Thank you, Elaine!