Been thinking about the nature of theater reviews lately. When I started Joyful Magpies, its primary purpose was to establish a record of Canadian theatre, to create some permanence from the ephemeral. Then, readers looked to the blog for "verdicts" and pull-quotes.

Which is fine. Although, I have often thought that to myself that I'm not the Authority on a production. I write with authority (tho sometimes you cannot so easily agree/disagree with a play) but I'm not the Authority on it. Sure, there are some shows you can miss, but...

There are ones that despite not quite hitting the mark are deserving of our eyes and ears for the reactions/thoughts/ideas they provoke. (Note: Is it a faux pas to say as a critic you're not the Authority on a show? Whatever.)

Going back to establishing a record: that original purpose stands out more than ever now. When I read through the archives, I'm transported to those nights in the theatre. The blog is a record of Canadian works and a personal journal. I can remember what was going through my mind

About what was happening around that time (by the threads I connected from life around me to a particular work). About where I was as a writer and what lessons i had been learning (or ignoring) about the craft. In many ways, the blog is a time capsule of memories.

These reflections were inspired by words I read a long time ago from former STU professor Russ Hunt who stopped reviewing local theatre in 2009. His archive is still online: http://people.stu.ca/~hunt/www/reviews.htm

Thank you for reading. I didn't intend for this thread to be so long. Just some thoughts as I get back to writing. To all the artists out there: You are awesome! Keep on telling your stories.

*Well, Joyful Magpies' original purpose was (and remains) to start discussion and motivate conversations about Canadian theatre (now expanded to Canadian arts). Establishing a record was secondary, although it was really on the same level.