Lewis Baird is the founder, editor, and reviewer for Theatre Scotland, a theatre news and review website run by students and young professionals.
The idea for Theatre Scotland came to Baird while working as a UK reviewer for Stage Blog, an American based theatre website. Frustrations at time zones and lack of coverage inspired him to start his own website.
“I felt like Scotland doesn’t have a focused theatre review site,” Baird said.”I felt like maybe I should make a theatre review site which has young people who have just either come into the industry or are still studying the industry have their opinions.”
Theatre Scotland’s team of eight reviewers are all young people currently working within the drama industry in Scotland. “They all have drama or performance degrees.” Every one of them has an opinion worth hearing, Baird explained.
The expertise of theatre professionals is key in Theatre Scotland’s reviews. Baird suggested that some established “critics haven’t been in the industry, haven’t been on a stage, [but] just been give reviews from an audience perspective.”
“As creatives we can appreciate the work more and maybe see elements that really work and some that don’t. “It would maybe give a bit more depth than you would get from a normal critic.”
Lewis Baird and his team at Theatre Scotland offer a unique perspective on Scottish drama
Baird explained that the age of their reviewers gives them a different perspective than established papers. “I feel like the old reviewers may not like the newer musicals, the ones that are really making the money. It’s not what they’re used to. People our age enjoy it. They like the new things; that’s not to say we don’t like the old ones.”
Baird was also keen to point out that their reviews resonate with theatre goers of all ages. “My Mum reads my reviews. She goes to see the shows and says ‘that’s what I would have gave it.’ So I’m like okay, we’re catering to a wider audience.”
Engaging with people is important for Baird. Theatre discussions and reviews can be a bit of an in group. “It doesn’t work. You’re not engaging with people.
“You need to engage with people like they engage with other social media.” Theatre Scotland puts out videos, filmed performances, and memes in order to engage with their audience. “Everyone loves a good meme,” he chuckled.
Baird started the Theatre Scotland Podcast at the start of lockdown. “I want to talk to people. I want to talk to the industry. I thought a podcast would be the best way to do that.”
Baird has been comfortingly optimistic throughout the pandemic. He said: “I think Scotland is really creative. It’s full of creative individuals and they’ll come up with something really different. It will be interesting to see what we get. I would love to see what productions come out of this.”
Social distancing forces theatres to come up with creative ways to stage plays. “When we re-open, if social distancing is still a thing, I think some people will be very creative in how they go about that.
“
I think digital theatre will be a big thing. I think many performances will record, will go into cinemas.
I think having a digital aspect in the actual performance, [like] a screen or some kind of technology, is going to be huge.”
Lockdown has offered other perks too, especially as Baird is a writer. “People have had five to eight months to write. Writers are going to have five plays by the end of this,” he laughed.
As a fourth-year student at Queen Margert University Baird is currently staring down the barrel of a dissertation, and he’s “enjoyed the time to recoup and think about what I want to do as an artist after I graduate.”
Baird’s Theatre Scotland Podcast is available on Spotify.
Image Credit: ATG Tickets
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