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 Elyse at Scene It Reviews, who is active on TikTok as well as her website and Instagram.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to be writing or creating content about theatre?
I am 20 years old and based in Manchester. I have always had a passion for performing arts, and growing up in local pantomimes and dancing on stages, including Manchester’s Palace Theatre, it felt quite fitting to turn this into something more.
The first show I ever saw was The Lion King in 2014, and since then, I have continued to visit the theatre. I decided to start writing theatre reviews after a 5-show trip to London in October 2025, where a friend asked me for reviews on the shows I’d seen, as she has some on her list to see. I saw Back to the Future, Hercules, 50 First Dates, Hadestown and The Devil Wears Prada, and I thought, why not share my thoughts with others, especially as I used to collect all my reviews in a scrapbook.
On this trip, I also created my TikTok account with my first video being a “travel with me” to the Adelphi Theatre. Since then, I have adapted the layout of my reviews on social media, created my website and am continuing to work on the editing style of my videos.
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?
I started my own platform in October 2025 on Instagram, and since then, it has grown to TikTok and a website, and I am hoping to start a SubStack.
I wanted the name of my platform to be a play on words, which is how I came up with Scene It. I like the fact that it makes sense as a standalone name, but also that the word scene relates to the theatre.
From there, it was quite simple for me to come up with a logo as I wanted to represent the physical meaning of Scene It (seeing a show), which is why I used an eye.
What kind of shows do you cover, and in which geographical areas?
I cover musicals, solo shows and theatre concerts. These are most commonly touring productions in the North West of England, and the frequent visit to London to see West End shows, which I am hoping to increase, as I would love to get to see the ‘One Night Only’ shows that I currently miss, such as Total Eclipse and Sea Witch. I have also reviewed one Off-Broadway production and definitely want to visit New York again to see a Broadway show.
How would you describe yourself (reviewer, critic, content creator, YouTuber, influencer, other)?
I would describe myself as a reviewer and a content creator because I create online content from my reviews. I have a background in graphic design and content creation, which I use a lot in my social media too. On my social media, I tend to alternate between a ‘reviewer’ post and a ‘content creator’ post to break up my feed.
Why do you continue to engage with theatre?
I love the atmosphere and the community. Theatre for me is all about coming together to celebrate talent and new artists, whether that be on or off stage. I will always continue to engage with the theatre as it really changes my approach to life, and I have met some amazing people through this journey.
What’s the one thing that would make the theatre reviewing/content creating space easier for you personally, and/or for your platform?
If I could make one part of theatre reviewing easier, I think having some stock photos from each show readily available for reviewers would be super helpful.
Sometimes, for shows, I struggle to get decent photos of a curtain call, depending on the rules or my seat; however, for my layout, I need to include around 6 photos. So, a bank of photos with crediting rules would make content creation so much easier.
Do you have a favourite show – and any you particularly dislike(d)?
My favourite show changes on a regular basis, but as of May 2025, it has been The Great Gatsby. The original London and Broadway casting for this show was just incredible. Seeing this show at the Coliseum blew me away, and I just think every aspect was perfect from the staging, choreography, vocals, costumes, soundtrack and props.
I would say a close second is 13 Going on 30. A controversial opinion I have is that I disliked Hadestown and Clueless. These shows didn’t excite me as much as I thought they would, and I haven’t listened to the soundtracks again.
I think the storyline in Hadestown for me was a bit hard to understand and I couldn’t really hear every word from the actors. In regards to Clueless, I think I hyped myself up too much because of how much I like the film that I was slightly disappointed.
The theatre commentary space is wide and diverse – is there any other female reviewer/content creator you would recommend, and why?
I love the content from Marinasreviews. I think she stands out so much as a young reviewer and has so much confidence in her presenting. Her channels also provide such varied content from reviews, theatre news and also her more relatable day in the life or travel with me videos.
What’s the biggest change you have noticed in the theatre space since you started contributing to it?
I think the biggest change has been the cruelty of others, especially towards new shows. I think the backlash Legally Blonde and Amber Davies received after the first preview show in Leicester was despicable and was really hard to see.
People need to have more respect for performers and creatives, and this is still occurring now with unsafe stage doors and negative, hateful comments on social media. I think what the Greatest Showman did by not allowing filming was a brilliant move to keep everyone safe.
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?
I am most active on Instagram. I think it is a great platform to interact with other theatre lovers through stories and highlights, as well as interacting with the performers themselves on broadcast channels.
Can you pinpoint one of your best reviews, features, or videos?
One of my best reviews is my review of the touring production of Mean Girls. In the review, I dove deep into the acting and mannerisms of the show: https://sceneitreviews.co.uk/meangirlstour/. I also think the content series I did for Into the Woods at the Bridge Theatre turned out really well. The three pieces of content fit into my page brilliantly, especially as I tried a new editing style with the videos – a review, a write with me and a travel with me. https://sceneitreviews.co.uk/intothewoods/
How can people contact you who want to promote a show?
The best way to contact me is through Instagram @sceneit.reviews – https://www.instagram.com/sceneit.reviews/- using the direct message feature or by email Sceneitreviewpage@gmail.com.
Thanks, Elyse!