Theatre Influencers and Theatre Critics

A Response and a Reflection 

In my review of Huzzah! I included a paragraph titled “Theatre Influencers and Theatre Critics”. This was because I noticed that an influencer invited to the show had been gifted an Old Globe thank-you card along with a show pin. 

At this point, I am not rallying a change. I am highlighting the difference in treatment. Yes, we all are getting free tickets with good locations/seats to see the show, to talk about it, or review it. This— in my perspective —has nothing to do with influencers. Hey, one was flown in this month from another country to see three shows here. That is their hustle, and more power to them..

This has to do with the uneven practices that some theatres (not all of them, as there are always exceptions) have had throughout the ages, from targeting shows to quoting and using outlets. And, dear reader, truth be told, my husband scolded me for the said paragraph. A colleague pointed out that there was a difference in leagues, as we are more from an editorial side, while the influencers are more from the marketing side. 

This is about equality, coming from a place of invisibility in my home market. 

I remember, about 10-11 years ago, I emailed a theatre company to ask if I could be included in their list to review shows. The response was, “They did not have any Mexican shows for me to review.” Other theatre companies stopped ghosting my emails until I became a part of the Critics Circle. I have had many doors slammed in my face trying to do this throughout my career. And, of course, other companies have always welcomed me, asked me questions about what I write, and looked for meaningful conversations. 

The majority of critics in San Diego (some of us review shows in LA and New York as well) do it for free, meaning we do not receive a salary for our writing. Gas, time, travel, parking, and our website maintenance are out of pocket. We do it for the love of theatre and the performing arts, for the love of writing, and to uplift those smaller companies that keep going regardless of budget cuts and a small staff. 

Am I special? Not really. I do not have a following of thousands or hundreds of thousands. However, I have been a reporter/journalist for almost three decades, and creating a space for these conversations is important. It is being said that theatre criticism and journalism are dying. Well, not on our watch.

I did receive a call from someone at The Globe to talk about this, and I thanked them for their time and deference. An insightful exchange was had.

As one of the local critics who aims to see as many plays/musicals in the county as possible for review and Craig Noel award voting purposes, I am also curious if these influencers are going across San Diego to see the other theatres’ plays aside from the two leading companies? They should because they’re already here. Because equality. 

Shameless plug: I created a series dedicated to theatres in San Diego on our YouTube channel. Because theatre tourism is also real.