Theatre Criticism Today

Petra Kohse has written for the Wanderlust blog since its launch. She has traveled to our Wanderlust theatres and reported on theatre partnerships on location. As her stint as a “Pfadfinder” (theatre scout) winds down, she focuses in her last blog post on contemporary theatre criticism and the conflicting situation in which theatre critics find themselves when working for non-journalistic media, such as an online blog. We thank Petra for her strong commitment and many interesting blog entries. At the start of the new theatre season in September 2011, Tobi Müller will take her place as a Wanderlust blog writer. More info coming soon…

Theatre criticism is (or has been) a journalistic genre, tailored to a specific target group which variety of media aim to reach. In professional journals, one finds detailed descriptions of plays and comparisons with earlier pieces / productions by the same playwright / director. In national papers, readers are presented with articles about current debates in theatre, while in the local papers, the reviews generally fall into the category of “Go! – Don’t Go!” recommendations or warnings. Reports in purely journalistic websites (e.g. Spiegel Online, nachtritik) are usually based on print versions and targeted at their own readership.

The right format is helpful when writing theatre criticism, as it is generally impossible to put an entire evening of theatre into words. And the larger the readership, the less obligated the critic may feel toward the theatre – as a writer who informs the public about (what is normally) publicly funded art.

In recent years, however, a growing number of theatre critics have begun working for non-journalistic media. Freelance writers have been doing this for financial reasons ever since newspapers – to put it positively – began relying more heavily on their permanent staff. And the editors have been doing it because freelancers do it and they want to retain their predominant influence on public opinion. These non-journalistic media are published by theatres themselves in the form of play programmes or seasonal programmes. Or they can be special forums, such as the Wanderlust blog. Or discussion events at theatres, presented by critics, or even entire symposiums, organized and moderated – not by dramaturges – but by theatre critics.