How to Treat A Reviewer if You Want an Event of Yours Reviewed

Rate: (2 Ratings)

While there are many people in the performing arts who want to have their work reviewed there seems to be something of a disconnect between the way in which artists treat their work and the way in which artists treat their reviewer. While most seasoned artists are very skilled and know how to play the game, younger artists have a much more difficult time sometimes in handling themselves around reviewers. There are a few rules of thumb though which will enable a reviewer to at least have a pleasant time while they are trying to come see your show.

Flag Article

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Step1

Have a contact point. If a reviewer has to make changes to their plans or if they need clarification points they should always have somebody to get in touch with in the period leading up to the day of the show. Whether that's a phone number or an email address it should be something that somebody is going to get back to them at and it should be done promptly; no more than 24 hours lag time.

Step2

Have tickets ready. Whatever your event is; whether it is a one time theater program or a long-running musical or a concert at a bar or an opera or ballet or fashion show; whatever your event is there should be someone to welcome your reviewers. If you do not have these resources available to you and if no one from the company can be present to meet and greet the reviewer, then the person at the box office should at least be made well aware of the fact that a reviewer is going to be coming, what their name is, and what they need to be given. Ideally there would be a press packet and as many comps for the reviewer as they have requested.

Step3

Try to stick to the starting time and running time. If your show says that it is set to go up at 2:00 p.m. but it does not go up until 2:40 p.m., this is generally not a very good thing. Also if your show is only supposed to last 90 minutes but it ends up going more than 2 1/2 hours then everyone is going to be inconvenienced; for the sake of your review if you anticipate any kind of delay, you should definitely let the reviewer know ahead of time so that they can at least prepare mentally for it. Often times a reviewer will be going from place to place and if they only have an hour or two in between, show that starts 45 minutes late really presents a problem.

Step4

Follow up. After the reviewer has come to see your show then you should definitely just reach out to them and let them know that you appreciate their coming to see your show. A short note a couple of days later will also put the show fresh in the mind of the reviewer and they will probably be able to let you know where and when the review will be published which is a good thing for you.