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 Debbie at Mind the Blog, known for her insightful reviews and theme weeks.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to be writing or creating content about theatre?
I come from a science background and, unlike the majority of theatre people I meet, this isn’t a passion that started in childhood.
My regular theatregoing began in 2012, and it only took a couple of years for me to decide I’d probably be better off in London (lots of theatres) than Somerset (very, very few) – if only to save on the constant train fares and hotel costs!
It wasn’t a conscious decision to write about theatre (initially the blog I started was going to be a home for general rants or observations) – but as with many things in my life, once I started things just snowballed.
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?
As I thought it was going to be a bit of an outlet for experiences I had in London, I took my inspiration for the name from the Tube (what else?).
I wanted something short and snappy, even though I never envisaged it needing to be memorable in any way; “Mind the gap” became ‘Mind the Blog’, and the rest is history!
The blog first came into being on 6 November 2014, and a couple of weeks later I published my first theatre review (of sorts).
The name has definitely served me well, as it hasn’t pigeonholed me as ‘just’ a theatre writer (I’m steadily adding more film, music & book posts), plus “mind the” has also proved useful for naming post series and theme weeks over the years. If nothing else it’s kept me amused!
How would you describe yourself? (reviewer, critic, content creator, YouTuber, influencer, other)
As most of my posts are reviews, and I also write for BroadwayWorld UK, I generally refer to myself as a reviewer or a critic.
Putting a label on it does sometimes feel like a bit of a minefield though, especially as the number of people who are paid to do this continues to dwindle, and the number of individuals covering theatre in whatever medium continues to rise.
There can also be a question of perception as well, with bloggers and influencers regularly the butt of the joke, and critics often presented as snobbish – when actually anyone can be anything, and all that matters is the quality of your output.
Why do you continue to engage with theatre?
Because when a show gets it right, it can be a truly magical experience – there isn’t anything else like it.
Theatre can also serve so many purposes, whether it’s speaking truth to power, providing some emotional catharsis, or simply serving as a form of escapism.
I’m also still a huge fan of new writing, and am trying my best to get back to seeing more Off West End stuff, as well as going to scratch nights when I can find them.
It’s fascinating to see how imaginative people can be when they know they have basically no budget and a small black box studio in which to tell a story – and the results can be as good as (or better than) new productions that you see in the West End.
Plus it’s a real thrill if you get to see a show develop and move to bigger venues over the years; I can’t quite believe my luck that I’m one of the few who’s seen Operation Mincemeat at every theatre from the New Diorama to the Golden Theatre on Broadway.
Supporting these shows by writing about them often feels more meaningful than reviewing big budget productions in larger capacity houses.
What’s the one thing that would make the theatre reviewing/content creating space easier for you personally, and/or for your platform?
There was a brief moment a few years into Mind the Blog’s existence when there was an unofficial commitment from more PRs to extend invitations to more bloggers, rather than just sticking to the established press – this didn’t really last.
Whilst I don’t think absolutely everyone with a website or social media outlet should get invited to absolutely everything, longevity and experience should carry just as much weight as follower count and engagement.
To keep something like this going for over a decade alongside a full-time job is no mean feat, and sometimes it can be much easier to just give up on rather than persist. It’s always very gratifying when this is acknowledged.
Do you have a favourite show – and any you particularly dislike(d)?
The show I’m most associated with is the Kinks musical, Sunny Afternoon. I spent two brilliant years frequenting the Harold Pinter Theatre, meeting some brilliant performers and making great friends along the way.
Although the current tour has highlighted some areas where it needs refreshing, at the heart of it it’s still an entertaining show, and it absolutely nails the sing-along curtain call brief.
Since her stint at Shakespeare’s Globe from 2016, I’ve become a devoted follower of Emma Rice and trekked around the country (and on one occasion to New York) to see her touring productions. She changed the way I look at theatre, and I think I now have all the more fun for it. Wuthering Heights, Romantics Anonymous, and The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk are probably my top three.
My dislikes list might not be quite as long as my likes, but I’m not afraid to be critical when I have to be! The one that sticks out the most is almost a direct contrast of Sunny Afternoon: All or Nothing.
This musical about the Small Faces first appeared while Sunny was enjoying its second year in the West End, and on paper should have been exactly my thing – but it turned out to be a vanity project with terrible writing and some questionable creative choices.
What’s the biggest change you have noticed in the theatre space since you started contributing to it?
The sense of entitlement that ripples through certain portions of an audience, i.e. the idea that paying for a ticket means you can behave however you want, regardless of how it affects people around you.
It’s not as if it’s a new thing from the past few years, but it’s certainly got worse – and it isn’t confined to theatres, it’s in literally every aspect of modern life. I don’t know if it’s some kind of delayed aftershock from Thatcherism, but I do know that I really do not care for it.
Oh, and the automatic whipping out of a phone to take a photo of the actors bowing. Just enjoy the moment every once in a while! (Let’s be friends, Lesley Manville.)
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?
Mind the Blog exists on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky (when I remember to include it) and Facebook, but I’m definitely most active on the first two.
I mostly use them to post when I’m seeing a show, and also to share links when I publish a review or feature – but I do also enjoy using them to enhance a theme week or month, such as sharing listening recommendations in musicals week or photos from Stratford-upon-Avon if I’m there in a Shakespeare week.
I think they’re vital for kickstarting an audience, and for giving extra insight into you as an individual, but if you want to be a reviewer I don’t believe an Instagram caption or short video allows you to do the job properly.
It feels like straying a bit too far into influencer territory, when reviewing and influencing should really be kept separate; both are important for theatre today, but they are distinct entities.
Can you pinpoint one of your best reviews, features, or videos?
About a year ago I was fortunate enough to be granted an interview with Operation Mincemeat‘s producer (Jon Thoday) to discuss their unique pricing structure and the continued rise in price of the West End production.
Although I could have possibly gone a little harder on him over certain points, it was interesting to hear things from his perspective and also clear up some details – especially as I think on that occasion mine was the only interview out there: https://wp.me/p5iPbU-bC1
How can people contact you who want to promote a show?
I’m a bit rubbish at responding to DMs, so it’s best to try your luck via email (pleasemindtheblog@gmail.com).
Thanks, Debbie!