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Critic goodie bag--good idea or bad?

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URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=4890
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Topic: Critic goodie bag--good idea or bad?

Posted By: GracieGarland
Subject: Critic goodie bag--good idea or bad?
Date Posted: 12/05/10 at 11:33am

It our first production. We are expecting our first two critics. Do theaters give goodie bags or is it frowned upon? I thought it would be cute to add show specific items in the bag and a coupon for a free snack/beverage. What are your thoughts....?

Replies:

Posted By: Majicwrench
Date Posted: 12/05/10 at 12:13pm

As someone who has no idea what the proper etiquette is, I say go for it. Looking forward to more experienced comments.

Posted By: Scott B
Date Posted: 12/05/10 at 12:35pm

There are two different type's of critics ... one's that actually give a true account of what they saw on stage and the ones that are community friendly and do what they can to get butts into your theatre.

I hate the fact that we provide critics with free admission, so I'm personally against giving them anything other than a good seat.

Posted By: Spectrum
Date Posted: 12/05/10 at 11:14pm

It smacks of of trying to "get in good with the critic," so I say don't do it. If you want to promote the show/theatre you could maybe give gift bags to community "leaders" and the media, but if you want a critic to be truly impartial, don't try bribery. Besides, that act of kindness could possibly backfire, depending how your critic saw the gift.

I agree with Scott B. in that if a critic is truly to be independent, (s)he should buy a ticket like everybody else. (S)he is being paid to be there by the employer. That should be enough.

Unfortunately, the 'other side of the coin' is some critics haven't got a clue how to be critics. They impose THEIR personal notions of intent and style on a show and if it doesn't conform to their 'standards,' it is judged inferior. Unfair and wrong-headed, to the Nth degree, but they have the microphone/newspaper article. These same critics might also be so full of themselves that they think they deserve 'special attention.' You won't get an impartial, or even a worthwhile review from these people, no matter what they report.

The best critic you can have is one neighbor talking to another. If a show is good, word of mouth gets butts in the seats far better than any critic can. I personally NEVER give a critic any value, be it good review or bad. It's just one person's opinion, and usually an untrained opinion at that.

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Growing old is mandatory. Growing up is optional.

Posted By: edh915
Date Posted: 12/06/10 at 11:27am

I wouldn't bother with a goodie-bag either. It's intent might too easily be misinterpreted.

As for critics... Be glad you have some. I wish we did. We only have one local paper that covers the theatre scene and it's editorial policy does not allow for the theatre "critic" to actually critique the performance she's seen. The paper feels that saying something negative about a community event might result in someone cancelling a subscription. So what we get is an article that tells the plot and lists the cast members' names. If a production is good, the critic can say so, so the best we can ever hope to read is "it's a must-see."

Posted By: Tallsor
Date Posted: 12/06/10 at 5:20pm

Originally posted by Spectrum

I agree with Scott B. in that if a critic is truly to be independent, (s)he should buy a ticket like everybody else. (S)he is being paid to be there by the employer. That should be enough.

As someone who volunteers with an all-volunteer performing arts magazine, not every critic is being paid. And as someone who was given a fellowship to the 2010 NEA Arts Journalism Institute in Theater and Musical Theater, our group has recently had a discussion as the fact that two tickets per reviewer (critic plus one) are standard across most metropolitan areas. (Although some papers do have a standard policy where they don't accept free tickets.)

It's no less likely to make them independent than the sports reporters getting free tickets to the baseball game (and in their case, they even get the media booth to boot) are more likely to ignore bad PR about the team. With arts coverage as rare as it is today, any publicity is good. If there's a theatre that pulls tickets because of a bad review, that just looks bad on them.

As for the goodie bag, the critic may have to decline it for policy purposes - especially the free coupon. I know some theatres provide me with a media kit, which gives me some additional information about the show - and that sometimes is helpful, especially if I didn't have time to do research on the show beforehand. I'd recommend that, instead. Include a season brochure and/or information about your upcoming show, information from the director as to why he or she is directing this play, etc.

Posted By: GracieGarland
Date Posted: 12/15/10 at 10:18am

I opted for the goodie bag. It was filled with items from the dollar store--more of a gag gift than anything. The critic was very professional. The review was sensational and the show should is expected to sell out this weekend.

Posted By: Majicwrench
Date Posted: 12/15/10 at 1:49pm

Good decision. When in doubt, do the nice thing. Let us know how show goes!