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, it’s the turn of Caroline at Theatre Muse and North West End UK.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to be writing or creating content about theatre?
Oooo, my road to reviewing was due to retirement, and missing the challenges that my career as a financial adviser offered. I decided to turn my enjoyment of theatre into something more constructive and began reviewing for North West End UK (NWE).
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 already mentioned, my first reviewing experience was 8 yrs ago when I joined NWE I enjoyed it so much that I hot-footed it to Edinburgh Fringe Festival the following year and set up their Edinburgh reviewing team, which I still manage. I then went on to develop NWE’s London team, which I enjoy very much.
Since then, I felt that theatre-makers need more support than I could offer at NWE, so in addition to my work there, I have set up Theatre Muse UK, and when I finish my Classical Studies degree in a few weeks, I will have more time to develop this into a platform to help to promote and support theatre-makers.
What kind of shows do you cover, and in which geographical areas?
I tend to cover smaller fringe theatre productions, improv (which is vastly underrepresented), and festivals. I manage London and Edinburgh for NWE, so I try to cover some shows in those areas, but Theatre Muse is a UK-wide site, as I wish to write about theatre from all areas – I should also mention that I live in Cheshire, so I really do spread myself about!
How would you describe yourself (reviewer, critic, content creator, YouTuber, influencer, other)?
I fit into several of those categories – reviewer/content creator/feature writer, as I intend to research and write about theatre’s history and current affairs, too!
Why do you continue to engage with theatre?
Engaging with theatre is a mutual thing – as a theatre writer, I need theatre, but I believe that theatre needs us too. There are so many benefits to us humans that theatre provides in this pressurised world that we live in. It gives children a way to express themselves, and adults a chance to play, and to allow themselves to let go of their stresses and to be entertained, or to be the entertainer.
What’s the one thing that would make the theatre reviewing/content creating space easier for you personally, and/or for your platform?
A greater acceptance that theatre reviewers are on the side of theatre-makers, and not in opposition. It would also be helpful when theatre-makers send in review requests that they list the time, date, name of the show, and venue, somewhere clearly on their review requests. I waste so much time having to search for show times when collating my list of shows that I submit to my reviewers. That’s two things…
Do you have a favourite show – and any you particularly dislike(d)?
You are testing my memory, which is terrible! My biggest irritation is when a show lacks creativity and appears to be piggybacking onto someone else’s ideas, and my favourite shows are likely to be inventive, in a small venue, minimalist staging, and a well-written script. No specifics, I am afraid!
The theatre commentary space is wide and diverse – is there any other female reviewer/content creator you would recommend, and why?
Well, yours, Louise! I admire your diversity and tenacity.
What’s the biggest change you have noticed in the theatre space since you started contributing to it?
Mmm, lack of funding would have to be my main concern in the world of theatre now. The number of hoops that theatre-makers need to jump through just to get Arts Council funding, and does this scarcity of funding impact the types of shows that are written, and the diversity of content…
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?
With Theatre Muse, I am most active on Instagram, as it appears to be where the theatre community have migrated to from X, but I am listed on Facebook, X, Threads and Bluesky, too. These will be developed in time.
Can you pinpoint one of your best reviews, features, or videos?
Features, I would say there are two – my feature about the effect of the war on arts in Ukraine, and an article that I wrote about The Actor’s Centre. I recently wrote articles/reviews for Liverpool Improv Festival, which followed two shows from rehearsal/workshop to performance. I think they rate highly on my list of favourites, due to trying something new.
How can people contact you who want to promote a show?
People can either message me on Instagram (Theatre Muse) if they wish me to promote their show in some way, or if they wish to send me content, then email caroline.worswick@theatremuseuk.org. If they would like one of the North West End UK team members to come along to review, then fringe@northwestend.co.uk for Scotland, or london@northwestend.co.uk for London.
Thanks, Caroline!