Cultural Journalism: The Theatre Review

My chapter focuses on cultural journalism and its main species. After a brief review of the main genres of the cultural written press, I examine theatre review, to see what style of writing it circumscribes and the main steps in writing a theatre review. This chapter is the result of constant concerns about the genres of cultural journalism, especially about the theater chronicle, an approach initiated in 2021 in the magazine Cadernos de Literatura Comparada. It is based on my 26 years’ experience as a journalist in the daily generalist and specialized cultural press (mainly ARCA, cultural magazine of the Romanian Writers’ Union). I suggest the secret to any theatre review lies in the balance between the information conveyed and the journalist’s commentary, between the statement made and the argument articulated. By providing a personal, therefore subjective judgement, the article can lead to dissatisfaction among directors, actors, set designers etc., who do not always resonate with the journalist’s verdict. My paper will provide several personal examples of approaching theatre performances and situations I have faced over a long time, to shed some light on writing the theatre review. From a stylistic point of view, I will try to understand how a theatre review differs from overall press coverage. While the editorial style of the theatre review could be circumscribed to the journalistic style, it has a pronounced aesthetic dimension. Consequently, this brings it closer to the literature and a special kind of language.