The Bath Chronicle has caused a stir in the production teams of Bath after announcing that it would no longer be publishing performance reviews in the weekly edition of the newspaper.
The new editor, Lynne Fernquest, is in the process of reviewing the paper and their coverage of events throughout Bath, though the decision to stop reviewing local performances has caused a backlash.
As the Chronicle is a business, the reasoning behind the change is to allow for more space in the paper, at the expense of reviews that the editor feels do not benefit Bath as they are published after the performance has happened. The reviews also do not bring in any revenue for the company, with a factor being that the theatre companies are being given a lot of free advertising space.
She said: “We are continually reviewing our editorial coverage in the Bath Chronicle. We are happy to publicise and preview extensively as many theatre and music events as space in The Guide will allow and of course are proud of the vibrant arts scene that Bath is blessed with. As we have limited space in the newspaper we believe reviews are less beneficial to the theatre groups because they are often printed after the event has passed. For that reason we feel that our website thisisbath gives the most immediate response review-wise.“
A limited number of productions will still be reviewed, though only made available through the Chronicle’s website, thisisbath.
News that productions at the Theatre Royal would still get newspaper coverage has caused concern with a lot of staff and visitors of Bath’s smaller theatres and group spaces such as the Rondo and the Mission Theatre.
The artistic director of the Mission Theatre said: “The lack of reviews will reduce the opportunities many of us have for promoting our work and reaching out to the Bath clientele. In these recessionary times everyone is anxious for good local press, and dependent for our very survival on the audiences that such press attracts. Whilst aware that if we provide reviews they may be posted on the Bath Chronicle website, the veracity and impartiality of such reviews is debatable.”
Another viewpoint expressed towards the new policy was posted on the Mission Theatre’s website: “I understand the new policy of the Bath Chronicle is to limit theatre reviews to productions staged at the Theatre Royal. This theatre hosts a range of important and interesting productions and I would not wish to denigrate them in any way, nor to suggest they should not be reviewed in the paper. However, the Theatre Royal is not the only location at which enjoyable and stimulating productions can be seen.”
A public meeting has been arranged for the residents of Bath to come along and talk to the Chronicle editor and to express views on the impending change. More information can be found on the Theatre Bath website here and on the Facebook event here.
