Welcome to the next in a 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 Rev Stan’s Theatre Blog.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to be writing or creating content about theatre?
I had started going to the theatre more and more and wanted to keep a record of what I was seeing. My day job at the time was a features editor on a business magazine, and I was commissioning more than writing, so blogging about theatre also helped satisfy my enjoyment of writing.
How did you come up with the name?
I chose Rev Stan when I set up my first social media account (Twitter, 2007) as I wanted to keep my personal life separate from my day job as a journalist.
Stan comes from very early in my career. My name is Stacey, and a letter came for me addressed to Stanley, so it became a nickname in the office.
The Rev bit was inspired by a colleague who found a church in America that offers online ordination. So I got ordained as Reverend Stanley, and that’s the name I started using on social media. (I can legally marry people in America.)
If you write for one or many platforms, which was the first and how did you become involved with it?
I’d been writing a bit about theatre on a lifestyle blog, but decided to set up a dedicated theatre blog in 2010. My video reviews came later when I wanted to try something different that I could also use on Instagram and YouTube.
What kind of shows do you cover, and in which geographical areas?
Plays, not musicals (they bring me out in a rash), and venues in London.
How would you describe yourself (reviewer, critic, content creator, YouTuber, influencer, other)?
Theatre blogger or vlogger, if I’m feeling fancy.
Why do you continue to engage with theatre?
I love watching live performances; it’s such a thrill, and the variety of stories and ways of telling them is endlessly fascinating.
What’s the one thing that would make the theatre reviewing/content creating space easier for you personally, and/or for your platform?
What would really help is clear, easy-to-read (short) press releases with all the key information, including the running time and venue address (London has a lot of theatres).
And if theatre websites could make their addresses and travel info easy to find, that would also be a great help. It’s alarming how difficult it is to find out where theatres are sometimes.
Do you have a favourite show – and any you particularly dislike(d)?
Hamlet is my favourite play. I’ve probably seen around 20 different productions now, and I always see something new.
Dislike: Musicals. I’ve tried them and just don’t like them. I can’t get on with song as a form of storytelling, and I just want to fast forward to the talking bits.
The theatre commentary space is wide and diverse – is there any other female reviewer/content creator you would recommend, and why?
You, Lou, because you are a real champion of fringe theatre and a brilliant writer. I’d also recommend Maryam Philpott’s Cultural Capital blog for in-depth, rigorous and highly intelligent analysis.
What’s the biggest change you have noticed in the theatre space since you started contributing to it?
There are so many more bloggers and more people doing theatre stuff on social media. More voices and a wider variety of channels have to be good for theatre. Theatre-land is catching up, albeit slowly.
And which social networks are you most active on?
Instagram and YouTube are my main social channels, with Facebook and Threads coming in second.
Can you pinpoint one of your best reviews, features, or videos?
I’ll let the public choose; my most viewed video on YouTube is Romeo & Juliet at the Duke of York’s starring Tom Holland (4,700 views).
How can people contact you who want to promote a show?
Either email: rightrevstan@gmail.com or send me a DM via Instagram (@RevStan)
Thank you, ‘Rev Stan’!