A theatre director has claimed regional press reviewers are “loath to criticise” performances from companies which offer them press releases and interviews.
Ciaran Clarke – an actor, director and writer from Cornwall – made the claim in a comment piece he wrote for the Western Morning News.
He claimed there was “sometimes a lack of opinions from within Cornish theatre, from peers and colleagues” due to the scene being so tight-knit.
He added that theatre companies in the region were in danger of becoming “mired in sycophancy.”
Wrote Ciaran: “In part, some of this comes from the local press. I don’t know what to make of reviews in local newspapers.
“It sometimes seems that they are loath to criticise the companies that supply them with press releases and offer interviews – and, likewise, the companies need the publicity.
“One show I caught this year, which I thought wasn’t great, received a glowing review in a local paper. If that’s the case, then what does a good review stand for? Does it mean anything?
“There’s no harm in telling the truth and I know I could certainly have benefited from some more honesty at times.
He went on: “Last November my theatre company received a fairly scathing review for a work-in-progress performance we staged.
“I didn’t agree with everything that was said, but as a result we made real improvements to how we work and it was refreshing to see this approach in a press review of a local production.
“It may not be a great idea to write this. After all, I work every day with brilliant people in Cornish theatre.
“But I think it’s important because it would be great to see a change in how we talk about each other’s work and being more open and honest.”
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Nice to see someone on the receiving end saying this. There’s a narrow border between encouraging, constructive criticism and fulsome praise, and it’s true that an awful lot of regional press arts coverage strays onto the wrong side.
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The real reason reviews in local papers are often ‘glowing’ is because the reviewers have little knowledge or understanding of what makes a production good or not so good. For that it helps to actually have personal experience of theatre work either from a performing or technical point of view.
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Interesting that it’s a Cornish performer saying this. I’ve seen some great theatre in Cornwall; equally, I’ve recently endured two of the dreariest and most depressing hours of my life watching a Cornish theatre company with, I gather, an international reputation mutilate a classic play almost beyond recognition, and be praised to the skies in the popular prints for doing so. I was always taught, when reviewing, to find something nice to say about something, even if it’s only the set or the costumes, but slavish adulation can only harm the viability of regional theatre in the long term. I suspect it’s because, as he says, the arts in the West are a tiny and somewhat incestuous world where no one wants to bite the hand that feeds them. It’s not nice to rubbish something when people are trying their best, but honesty is the best policy, and if a few home truths raise the standard – of pantos in particular, some of which are charging upwards of £10 a seat for shows that would struggle to be described as cringeworthy – that can only be a good thing. Also, it damages the local press’s reputation if readers feel they’re being suckered into going to shows that aren’t any good by fawning reviews written by members of the same little arty-farty clique.
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The harsh reality is that for many local papers it’s easier, cheaper and quicker to fill an arts page with a ready supplied press release and photos than for a reporter to attend an evening performance and write it up the next day.
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A lot of reviews, even on morning and evening papers, are written by UNPAID inexperienced members of the public. Faced with budget constraints, that is the only way the papers can cover events. Sorry, never mind the quality, they should be grateful the events are covered at all. Does Clarke know what a state most local papers are in regarding arts writers. Some have NONE at all.
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This is good to see.
One of my old paper’s had a running battle with its local theatre over negative reviews.
The theatre took umbrage and withheld press tickets and attendance at press calls. This was no an issue and the reviewers just bought tickets but then they withdrew advertising, suits got involved and now you will never read a negative review of this large theatre in its local paper again.
Lack of backbone from editor who accepted the order from head office very meekly.
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Perhaps now we will get a restaurant proprietor writing in the same vein.
Restaurant reviews in regional newspapers are even more sycophantic that theatre crits. I have yet to read a review in my local weekly that doesn’t enthuse over each and every establishment it features,
They can’t all be that good.
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Sorry, keyboard slip. Should be ‘more sycophantic than theatre crits’.
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Can I just say, David (I can call you David, can’t I?), that this is one of the best HTFP pieces I have ever read, beginning in a positive yet never unctuous manner, and moving to an affirmative, life-enhancing climax that had this reader for one in tears. Superb stuff – and can you BACs me the tenner right now because it’s darts night at the pub for me later.
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Mike – That’s a pretty snobbish outlook. A local journalist is a representative of the community they serve. There is no reason why they should not be able to form an opinion about a production in the same way that anybody who goes to see a play will do. You’re basically saying only theatre experts should be allowed to have an opinion on a play.
Surprised at how little mention there is in these comments about advertising, which I would say was a more significant reason for reluctance to publish negative reviews than not wanting to jeopardise future invites. Quite often, going to review a show in the evening is a short straw job, not a luxury.
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A recent review of a professional theatre production in the now-weekly Bath Chronicle included the phrase: “I’ve never been to the theatre before but I enjoyed…” Years ago when reporters and writers were trained, when I started reviewing the chief reporter secretly also attended and in the morning went through my review line by line. Amateurishly produced newspapers now give out theatre tickets as freebies to whoever wants them.
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Desker is too quick to pan the editor for obeying orders from above. Has he/she fallen on their sword on a point of principle? Thought not. Just another windbag who likes to think they would act differently despite having a mortgage to pay and mouths to feed.
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How did your chief reporter measure up Reg? 😉
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LNH – why is it snobbish to say an expert’s opinion is more valid than another’s? Yes, everyone is entitled to an opinion, that goes without saying. But the point here is that readers expect an expert’s opinion as to whether or not it is worth forking out £10, £20 for a ticket to see a show. For a review to really count, the reviewer needs to be regarded as an authority. Someone who knows what they are talking about. Would you read a gardening article by someone who knows nothing about the subject? Or a car test drive by someone who doesn’t drive? Any fool can write a review of sorts. A decent review needs depth and that comes from knowledge.
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I’m afraid Mike Edwards hits the nail on the head. Unless you have a really good grasp of theatre, and you have the maturity and experience to express a confident opinion, then you are going to play it safe in a review. I write as someone who organised the review list in a large regional newspaper for many years. We got rid of vastly experienced freelance critics just to save money, and then had to scurry around getting staff journalists who were already very busy with the day job to agree to unpaid overtime at night, for which they got only a free ticket. Some turned in good reviews, but many were woeful. The latter simply did not have the experience and authority to express an opinion. I suspect also that some didn’t make much of an effort because they knew just what value the management put on their endeavours…£0.
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Reg Gurnard. That confession from Bath paper reviewer is a depressing confirmation on the amateurish attitude now prevalent on local papers. Most of the true pros left long ago, if they could. The kids are running the playgroup and it shows on arts pages. Too many mentions of I and me in a lot of reviews. It is about the show not the reviewer!!!
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Criticism of the performing arts does not seem to be on the curriculum of establishments training journalists. If it is, it is not done properly. The attitude among reporters – not discouraged by their editors – seems to be ‘what would I like to see for nothing?’ and ‘I don’t mind writing a few fatuous sentences to justify the free tickets.’ I suspect the problem is that the arts, as opposed to ‘reality’ TV are not taken seriously. Well done to Ciaran Clarke for highlighting the woeful ineptitude of provincial ‘critics’. I have slammed performances in the past and been thanked by the actors who have then tried to improve the show.
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I experienced a dreadful first night but laid off being too heavy because I thought the cast would be fine by end of run. By time review was run audiences were saying good the show was. It takes maturity to make a judgement call like that.
Most reviewers lack that.
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In the dark ages as a town reporter I expected to attend theatre and music shows and sport as well as several council meetings a week. I read up on things I was weak on. In the last decade I noticed reporters starting becoming 9 to 5 , Monday to Friday merchants. And a good deal of that time was spent fiddling with Facebook, twitter, websites and e mails. New skills, yes. But the right ones? This all worsened arts coverage, which on weeklies is poor quality.
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Clarke raises an important point. The public is finding us out for poor quality .
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Some interesting points in this discussion, but I am uncomfortable with the idea that you need to know about theatre before you can write a review.
Sometimes it pays to be closer to where the audience is at – they want to know if they will enjoy it.
As for getting unqualified people to write reviews for free…perish the thought! paid my 10-year-old daughter £5 to write this review:
http://www.cumbrialive.co.uk/home/peter-pan-at-theatre-by-the-lake-a-child-s-review-1.1178157
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When our superb arts writer exited stage left the management did not bother to replace him.
All our arts stuff is handouts stuffed on a page at central hub by someone who frankly knows next to nothing about local arts or any other. No one on my paper writes reviews.
Clarke might be right, but at least someone goes along Out West.
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To Lensman: He was a stickler for accuracy and fairness. We addressed him as Sir, because we respected and admired him. He eventually became editor (after I had left) and then went on to edit another paper. He taught by example; the old school. Stood me in good stead for the subsequent 60-odd years.
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Most restaurant reviews in regional newspapers are an absolute joke. They work on a ‘free meal for saying nice things’ basis and are an unofficial bonus for underpaid trainees. I could eat out for free every day of the week if I accepted all the invitations that came my way. We do it properly. We turn up incognito and we pay for our food. And we publish an honest review.
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Yes, you need critical judgement, perspective and broad (not necessarily deep) knowledge to be a decent critic at the kind of level a local paper requires.
You can gain that purely as a thoughtful member of audiences over the years, though as Mike says, some practical experience is no bad thing – it’s not a necessary qualification for arts criticism, but it does aid understanding.
Of course, the professionalism of the production you’re reviewing is going to be a factor, too. You can hold the local repertory theatre to a higher standard than you would the am-dram society – but to some extent, the criticism needs to be of a higher standard then too.
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What I loved about restaurant reviews in my time in local papers was that the reporter always went to some trendy place. I always got the impression it was just an excuse to take Jemima for an expenses-paid night out and pretend to be Giles Coren, describing dishes that few people had heard of, let alone would ever eat. I never saw a review of a greasy spoon (the kind of place most readers are more likely to visit).
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For a while the Evening News in Norwich was reviewing pubs, and not just the food but the whole venue and experience – an excellent idea (I’m sure not unique to the EN, but that’s the only place I’ve seen it).
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Wow. Of all the stories on Hold The Front Page, this seems to have created the most response, proving, I think, that the arts are not as boring as some editors would like to think.
When I started reviewing I was told to mention every member of the cast (within reason) to ensure they, and their families, all bought at least one copy of the paper!
As I gathered more experience I realised that, yes, there were bad productions and that this had to be addressed in the review to ensure: 1. Readers could trust our judgement and 2. A good review meant something.
I later introduced an annual award for the area’s best pantomime – dubbed the Panties. It kept all the theatre groups, both amateur and professional, on their toes.
As editor, I tried to encourage our reporters to go to the theatre because they liked it. But some then forgot all their journalistic training, spelling actors’ names wrong, missing key moments and forgetting to look for news follow-ups.
Some of my biggest showbiz stories came from a backstage chat with the cast after a show. It was in my own time but paid dividends in building up relationships and also earning a bit extra from the nationals.
And yes, writing a review in the first person is always a sloppy, easy option…
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Mike Lowe is right. The “review” is a criticism-free puff usually tied to an advertising feature. I wrote dozens of them because sometimes you got a fancy meal free. Often you got mediocre pub grub, but were not allowed to say so. What service was that to reader? Guess I prostituted my art but it was small consolation for crap pay!
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Funnily enough, at a music mag I write for we’ve recently had an active debate about how much *harder* it is to write an interesting and meaningful positive review than an entertaining negative one…!
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Desmond Pratt, late but legendary theatre critic of the Yorkshire Post, once wrote a review of a sparsely attended play in which he berated people for failing to support the production. The next day the editor received a letter from the producer asking if it was normal for a critic to review a dress rehearsal.
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