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 Sarah McPartlan at MusicalTheatreMusings!
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you came to be writing or creating content about theatre?
I’ve been running my website for over 10 years now. I’ve always loved theatre, and often people asked me what I thought of various shows I had seen. I started a small blog on Tumblr to write about my thoughts, and my brother then offered to create me a website – 10 years later, it is still going strong.
I’ve been involved in theatre my whole life, and whilst it is not my profession, it is something I feel passionately about. I started dance classes at a young age, started performing in amateur theatre as a teenager and worked front of house and stage door at my local theatre. Even now as well as running MusicalTheatreMusings, I am also on the committee of my local am dram group, Bromley Players and on the board of my local theatre, The Bob Hope Theatre.
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?
It started over 10 years ago, and it is so long ago that I can’t even recall how the name came about. My site, however, has grown a lot in that time. Originally, it was focused on Musical Theatre, but now I will review plays, dance, drag and even London experiences, although Musical Theatre always feels like coming home.
What kind of shows do you cover, and in which geographical areas?
I will cover every type of theatre across London and the South East. I also have a passion for amateur theatre, so I will also review many amateur shows alongside professional theatre. I particularly enjoy discovering new writing and, in particular, new musical theatre.
I’m proud that I saw SIX at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at Southwark Playhouse and Operation Mincemeat at Riverside Studios and gave them all 5 stars!
How would you describe yourself (reviewer, critic, content creator, YouTuber, influencer, other)?
Predominantly I would describe myself as simply a theatre lover. It is hard to put a label and neatly fit into a box, as yes, I do review shows, so in theory I could be a reviewer, but equally, I create social content, write features, share opinions, and more.
I probably straddle both the reviewer and content creator labels. What is important to recognise, though, is my honesty. My reviews are always honest, and this is more important than any label!
Why do you continue to engage with theatre?
Where do I start? Theatre can be so many things and serve so many purposes, and this in itself fascinates me – it can move me, help me forget about a bad day, put fire in my belly over a particular topic or even educate me on something different. Equally, as far as amateur theatre is concerned it not only provides a creative outlet for so many people but helps forge friendships.
I also would like to think that my website can also have an impact, even in a small way to theatre. I continue to try to learn and educate people, especially in amateur theatre and am passionate about topics such as diversity in theatre and think that allies’ voices in these conversations are important.
What’s the one thing that would make the theatre reviewing/content-creating space easier for you personally, and/or for your platform?
I’d love to see more recognition of the value independent reviewers and content creators bring to the theatre. Whilst some PR’s are brilliant on this front, other shows or PRs still remain very rooted in tradition, and I would love to have a conversation about widening this access.
Do you have a favourite show – and any you particularly dislike(d)?
Ohhhh, this is like asking me to choose a favourite child. My top 3 musicals are Come From Away, Hamilton and SIX. As for shows I dislike, there are plenty, but I always try to be constructive, and there is often nuance as to why, so to get the full picture, then check out my 1-star reviews on my website.
The theatre commentary space is wide and diverse – is there any other female reviewer/content creator you would recommend, and why?
Yes!! There are so many wonderful theatre reviewers, but there are 2 I would love to shout out: Ellie Talks Theatre and Rachel Reviewed. They are both brilliant reviewers in their own right, but in addition to this, I think it’s so important to have diverse voices in theatre content creation, so it doesn’t become an echo chamber. I would 100% recommend checking both of them out.
What’s the biggest change you have noticed in the theatre space since you started contributing to it?
The biggest change I’ve noticed is theatre is becoming far more accessible, both in terms of who is represented on stage and who gets to be part of the conversation. Whilst there is still a long, long way to go, conversations about representation, relaxed performances, gender conscious casting, and making theatre more welcoming to different audiences are far more visible than they were 10 years ago.
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’m on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and find them all such a good way to learn about what my readers are interested in, as well as sharing more informal looks at shows and content than you may get on my website itself.
Can you pinpoint one of your best reviews, features, or videos?
During lockdown, I wrote an article called ‘Amateur Theatre is Racist’, and recently I produced a follow-up article looking at whether Amateur theatre had made any progress on this front. Both articles tried to have practical suggestions as to how to improve diversity, and both certainly provoked a lot of discussion:
- Amateur Theatre Is Racist. – Musical Theatre Musings
- Diversity In Amateur Theatre – 5 Years On Has It Improved? – Musical Theatre Musings
How can people contact you who want to promote a show?
Drop me an email at sarah@musicaltheatremusings.co.uk!
Thanks, Sarah!