TheatreVoice
TheatreVoice is a free online theatre forum launched by Dominic Cavendish and others in September 2003. It offers over 480 audio recordings of discussions AbOUT British theatre featuring a wide range of critics, journalists, academics and theatre professionals.
The first British website dedicated to making recorded discussions of theatre publicly available, since its founding in 2003 it has built a substantial archive of in-depth InterViews and roundtable discussions about, among other related topics, Shakespeare, new writing, black British theatre, Asian theatre in Britain, regional theatre in the UK and musicals — with a particular focus on contemporary productions, featuring transcripts and podcasts of many of its programs.
History
After three years in development by its founding editor, Dominic Cavendish, theatre critic for The Daily Telegraph, freelance critic David Benedict, critic of The Evening Standard Rachel Halliburton, and its web designer, Ben Neale, co-founder of the Marvellous Media Company, TheatreVoice was launched in September 2003.
Mission
According to Cavendish, as quoted by Fisher in the British Theatre Guide:
Sponsors and Partners: The Theatre Museum and Rose Bruford College
At the time of its launch, in September 2003, the Theatre Museum (renamed the V&A Theatre Collections in 2007), provided further assistance and support, with particular encouragement from its director, Geoffrey Marsh, enabling the content of TheatreVoice to be incorporated as part of the V&A Theatre Collections Online. Since April 2008, TheatreVoice has been co-funded and supported by a partnership between the V&A Theatre Collections and Theatre Futures at Rose Bruford College, in Sidcup, Kent, which are listed as sponsors on its website.
Content
During its first month, September 2003, TheatreVoice presented interviews with Royal Shakespeare Company actors Emma Fielding, Daniel Evans and Henry Goodman, discussions about Michael Frayn’s Democracy, Antony Sher’s ID, John Osborne’s A Hotel in Amsterdam and a debate about contemporary political theatre. Subsequently, similarly diverse content has featured additional supporting facilities, such as transcripts, podcasts, and the TheatreVoice "Blog". The directory of external links provides related resources.
According to the site's copyright notice, "With the exception of the contributions of individual interviewees, interviewers, panel members and editors, all the content on this website is copyright the Board of Trustees of the Victoria and Albert Museum."
Reception
TheatreVoice has been recognized in other online publications as a valuable resource.
The blog
In April 2008, following the publication of "Theatre Voices in the Blogosphere", by its co-editor Aleks Sierz, TheatreVoice launched its own blog.
Electronic subscription newsletter
TheatreVoice also offers a free electronic subscription newsletter.
Current staff
- Editors and principal contributors
- Dominic Cavendish, founding editor, and deputy theatre critic for The Daily Telegraph
- Aleks Sierz, co-editor, and theatre critic for the Tribune (UK).
- Other principal contributors
- David Benedict, London theatre critic for Variety
- Jane Edwardes, theatre editor, Time Out, London
- Philip Fisher, freelance journalist and critic
- Heather Neill, freelance journalist and critic
- Mark Shenton, theatre critic for the Sunday Express and blogger for The Stage
- Charles Spencer, chief drama critic for The Daily Telegraph
See also
- American Theatre Wing – Free audio and video archive of theatrical seminars and discussions accessible on its official website (www.americantheatrewing.org) from 1980 to the present.
External links
- Theatre Futures – "Part of Rose Bruford College", a sponsor of TheatreVoice.
- TheatreVoice: Let's talk about theatre – Official site at theatrevoice.com.
- V&A Theatre Collections, a sponsor of TheatreVoice.
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