Article in defence of theatre chat message boards.

Hey folks.

I just wanted to share my latest article (I write for North West End in the UK) regarding theatre message boards, including Broadway World. Hope its OK I referenced a couple of posters on the board.

https://northwestend.com/in-defence-of-the-weird-and-wonderful-world-of-the-theatre-chat-message-boards/

In addition to the points you bring up about ticket prices for previews, I think it’s worth mentioning:

We have a right to discuss shows in previews, simply because we have that intrinsic right as people. We aren’t paid critics under embargo, we’re audience members. The producers/artists chose to put the show in front of a public audience, and so that audience is allowed to talk about what they were shown – positively or negatively. Even if the preview tickets were still discounted, I believe that would still be true.

Having said that, I do agree that the CONSIDERATE thing to do is to frame criticism in a constructive way, with an implicit acknowledge that the show has time to be worked on.

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Great article. I totally forget that Lin used to post here!

Updated On: 1/20/22 at 03:15 PM

I've also found that the folks here are likely to see a show regardless of what negative things posters might say. A general, tourist/NYC tristate audience isn't on this board and they're not going to read any negative criticism that is posted here that might deter them from purchasing tickets. So I don't really see it being an issue.

I also echo what previous posters have said about how the conversations here are largely positive. I've had lovely conversations with community members about why we love theater, and I always get so excited to see a show when I reload the preview thread daily to see who else has seen it and what they have to say.

All in all, I think we have a solid community of theater enthusiasts here and I for one have my desire to see theater bolstered when I see what other fans have to say.

Finally, if I were involved in a production that was being discussed on this board I would absolutely tune in to see what this subset (the theater fan) of the audience has to say. I can only imagine how helpful a preview thread could be to the creative and production team as they fine tune their show.

I always find myself coming back to these boards because they're really the only reliable place to get information about theatre. Theatre forums raised me - no, seriously- from age 11 to my current age, 25, and taught me so much about art and theatre history. The conversations about the politics and social impact of American theatre are invaluable because they come from the people who love it the most.

Facebook groups and twitter circles have tried to replicate what happens here but most posters hold back because they're still trying to get hired or what have you. Loved the article and its honesty.