What Does a Theater Critic Do?
The drama critic is in a difficult position in the theater world. On Broadway today, where multi-million dollar musicals and plays depend on good reviews to sell tickets, the theater reviewer has a great deal of power, and a great deal of responsibility. The critic must give a clear assessment of the production to their reading public, who want to know everything they can about a show before they invest in a pair of tickets.
The review must be informative, accurate, entertaining, fit within the newspaper’s space limitations, and be written under deadline. The critic must have a good knowledge of theater history, a familiarity with many different styles and genres of theater, and must be able to articulate and support his or her opinions. Most of all, even after seeing night after night of plays and musicals, both new and old, good and bad, a critic must be able to sustain his or her love of theater.
The drama critic is in a difficult position in the theater world. On Broadway today, where multi-million dollar musicals and plays depend on good reviews to sell tickets, the theater reviewer has a great deal of power, and a great deal of responsibility. The critic must give a clear assessment of the production to their reading public, who want to know everything they can about a show before they invest in a pair of tickets.
The review must be informative, accurate, entertaining, fit within the newspaper’s space limitations, and be written under deadline. The critic must have a good knowledge of theater history, a familiarity with many different styles and genres of theater, and must be able to articulate and support his or her opinions. Most of all, even after seeing night after night of plays and musicals, both new and old, good and bad, a critic must be able to sustain his or her love of theater.
