UTBA reviewers should consult the online guide for reviewers athttps://utba.tempurl.host/guidelines-for-utba-reviewers.
The ideal UTBA review is written with three audiences in mind. The first is the artists who designed and acted in the production. The second audience is the potential audience members who need to decide whether they are going to spend money on a ticket for the show. The final audience of UTBA reviews is the producers of a play, who want to understand whether the production is helping them fulfill their mission and meet the needs of their artists.
Productions are judged on a relative scale and reviewers should take into consideration the following factors:
- Professionalism: Theatre companies in Utah have a range of levels of professionalism. They range from arts councils/community theatres where the cast and production staff have little (if any) professional training, to fully professional Equity theaters. Reviewers should be more forgiving as the level of professionalism of the company decreases.
- Ticket prices: More expensive productions are judged more rigorously than productions with cheaper ticket prices.
- Advertisement: Shows should be judged according to whether they’re meeting the expectations that producers and marketers create. (See, for example, Bryce Isaacson’s review of Annie Get Your Gun.)
- Intended audience: Often, a play is intended for a specific type of audience (e.g., children, fringe audiences, etc). UTBA reviewers should consider whether the production is appropriate and entertaining to the intended audience.