How to Write About Theatre: A Manual for Critics, Students and Bloggers

by Mark Fisher

What do you do if you find yourself weeping in the stalls? How should you react to Jude Law's trousers or David Tennant's hair? Are you prepared to receive toilet paper in the post? What if the show you just damned turns out to be a classic? If you gave it a five-star rave will anyone believe you?

Drawing on his long years of experience as a national newspaper critic, Mark Fisher answers such questions with candour, wit and insight. Learning lessons from history's leading critics and taking examples from around the world, he gives practical advice about how to celebrate, analyse and discuss this most ephemeral of art forms - and how to make your writing come alive as you do so.

Today, more people than ever are writing about theatre, but whether you're blogging, tweeting or writing an academic essay, your challenges as a critic remain the same: how to capture a performance in words, how to express your opinions and how to keep the reader entertained. This inspirational book shows you the way to do it.

Foreword by Chris Jones, Chief theater critic, Chicago Tribune

Genres: Theatre, Writing, Nonfiction, Drama

296 pages, Paperback

First published August 27, 2015

About the author

Mark Fisher is one of Scotland's foremost commentators on the arts. With over 25 years' experience, he is the Scottish theatre critic for the Guardian, a former editor of the List and a freelance contributor to Variety, the Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday. He is the author of The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide ("A wonderfully practical but also inspirational book full of good advice" – Lyn Gardner, the Guardian) and How to Write About Theatre, published July 2015 (both Bloomsbury Methuen Drama). He is also editor of The XTC Bumper Book of Fun for Boys and Girls: A Limelight Anthology, published October 2017, and What Do You Call That Noise? An XTC Discovery Book, published March 2019 (both Mark Fisher Ltd).

Reviews

[Charlie]

now i know how to write about theater 🧠

[Holly Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this book for a college theatre class called “Shakespeare Around the Globe.” My class dove into different interpretations of Shakespeare in different countries, and this book was honestly both incredibly helpful AND incredibly enticing. I found myself often highlighting sentences and marking pages. It allowed me to pinpoint the important aspects in the plays I was reading and watching.

All in all, this author is witty and self-aware. I normally hate reading things that I’m forced to read, but this was a pleasant surprise!

[Dominika Hvorková · Rating 2 out of 5]

tato recenzia prichadza od cloveka, ktory sa takmer vobec nevyzna v divadle, no vyzna sa do znacnej miery v slovencine... a preto hovorim, ze ten preklad je hroza a ovplyvnuje moje hodnotenie. predslov na mna urobil velmi zly dojem a tiahlo sa to po cely cas, nakoniec som ju ani nedocitala. niektore autorove myslienky ok, prinosne, ale stratene v preklade, neprisposobene nasmu jazyku, not worth it

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an absolute joy to read: it is written in a manner that is witty and fun, but manages to convey a whole range of things that are truly useful to think about for an (aspiring) theatre critic.
It's a great place to start and - since it references a lot of other theatre-related books - a good source of ideas on what to read next.

[Mark Ludmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A useful and very practical guide for anyone writing critically about theatre. Aimed mainly at the novice, it also provides some interesting insights for more experienced writers. Written by a successful working critic, it is definitely the best book by far on how to write theatre criticism and worth revisiting for reference.

[Wyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me as part of my Criticism and the Arts unit at university and it was indispensible. It made me a better reviewer, and especially helped to broaden my mind to ideas about theatre and performance I hadn't ever considered.

[Chris Lilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best 'how to..' book I have ever read. It's a niche subject, but if theatre reviewing is something you are considering, it is really helpful, and really accessible. Yowsa Mark Fisher...

[Jana1105 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did not think there could be a lyrical how-to book - yet here we are. Marvellous ✨

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knowledgeable and engaging, with lots of good examples and specifics from a very wide range of historical and contemporary criticism. Both useful and pleasurable to read.