Welcome to PlaysToSee.com!
We’re excited to have you join our team of reviewers. Reviewing a performance is your chance to share your thoughts and insights—not to write an academic essay, but to give a clear and engaging reflection on a specific production.
Here are some key guidelines to keep in mind:
Core Principles
- Your Voice: A review is your voice but remember it’s not about you – it’s about the show. You’re writing for the reader. Share your thoughts on someone else’s art in a way that helps the reader decide whether to attend.
- Context is Key: Provide enough basic information for the reader to understand your review and assess whether they’d want to see the show. Don’t assume prior knowledge – even if it’s Shakespeare, your reader may not be familiar with the play.
- Balance Information and Opinion: A good review isn’t just a report of facts or a display of intellectual analysis. It’s a blend of both – offering the reader what they need to know about the event, while also giving your thoughtful commentary on the experience.
- Constructive Criticism: Don’t shy away from criticism, if necessary, but be respectful and fair. Write as if you were speaking directly to the cast, director, or producer. Your review should reflect your honest perspective but remain professional.
- Think Beyond Acting: Consider not only the acting and direction, but also the costumes, music, staging, and all other elements that contribute to the production. A comprehensive review looks at the full picture.
Review Structure and Formatting
- Word Count: Reviews should be between 500-600 words.
- Tense: All reviews must be written in present tense.
- Formatting:
- Keep text left-aligned with no extra spaces between lines (only one space between paragraphs).
- Use one space after a period between sentences.
- Hyperlink the venue name to the relevant theatre’s website.
- Include your byline (your name) at the end of the review.
- Please request HD landscape-format images from the theatre’s press office to accompany your review. Email the Editorial Team a link to the image gallery, rather than a single selected image.
- Submitting Your Review:
- Email your review to [email protected]
- Do not send your review directly to the press officer before it’s published online.
- Once your review is live, send the link to the press officer and share it across your social media platforms.
Star Rating System:
At the end of your review, include your star rating for the performance, using the following scale:
- ☆☆☆☆☆ = Outstanding production; highly recommended
- ☆☆☆☆ = Very good production; recommended
- ☆☆☆ = Okay production; not one you’re keen to see again
- ☆☆ = Poor production
- ☆ = Very poor play and production
- You can award X stars+ half a star but no other fractions.
Formatting the Review Footer
Please ensure the following details are included at the foot of your review:
- Venue Name (hyperlinked to the theatre’s website)
- Show Type (Drama, Musical, Opera, etc.)
- Play Title
- By (name of the playwright/composer/librettist)
- Music By (if applicable)
- Director
- Photo Credit (Remember to email with your review a link to the image gallery, rather than a single selected image).
- Cast Includes (leading characters only)
- Until (if applicable, or “Touring until…”)
- Running Time (e.g., Two hours and 20 minutes, including one interval)
- Your Star Rating (You can award X stars and half a star, but no other fractions.)
- Your Name
Example:
Twelfth Night ☆☆☆☆
Comedy
By William Shakespeare
Director: Trevor Nunn
Cast includes: Helena Bonham Carter; Ben Kingsley; Imogen Stubbs; Nigel Hawthorne; Imelda Staunton
Until: Thursday 20th July 1996
Running Time: Two hours and 50 minutes (including one interval)
Photo Credit: Love Camera
Review by: Keen Reviewer
15 December 1996
Once your review is live online, please don’t forget to promote it via social media and help spread the word about the show and PlaystoSee.com!
We look forward to reading your reviews!
Rivka Jacobson
Executive Director
Play to See.com