By Jennifer Mustoe
Up until this year, Front Row Reviewers Utah has been a “hobby.” Yes, we took our reviewing seriously, but we were sporadic in how often we reviewed, where we went, how many reviewers we had on staff. Two things we never compromised on were these standards:
- Get the review up quickly
- Focus on the good
Around April of this year, I decided to try to take FRRU professional. Almost as soon as I thought of this, it exploded! Someone (Larisa Hicken, to be exact) offered to create a new website for us. Someone else later in the year (Peek Pro, to be exact) offered us free software to streamline our systems. MANY folks liked our Facebook page. More offered to be reviewers. One person (Angela Dell, to be exact) offered to be an editor and reviewer, and since has become a publisher and a board member. Several people in the theater community (Brandon Stauffer being one of the brightest in this group) offered other support and became our staunch allies.
In short, this is the year that Front Row Reviewers Utah grew up. And the year when I realized that what we were doing was pretty darn great. We have reviewed more shows at more theaters in Utah than any other group. We review at theaters where no other reviewers are welcome. We have added hundreds of new Front Row Reviewers Utah Facebook likers, many new reviewers, and many new theaters to the FRRU family. And yes, we are a family–except we don’t have jealousies or Mom likes you best issues here. We all get along!
I have looked ahead to what we want in 2018 and it’s Big, and Exciting, and Doable. We are franchising this brand. We are honing our systems even more. We are getting a new logo. We are teaching more people to edit and publish. We are always hiring more people to review. And we are reviewing more arts productions, including opera, ballet and dance, concerts, music productions, and hopefully, we can start reviewing other arts as well, such as particular visual artists in galleries, etc. We love art in all its forms!
In the last few days, I’ve been mulling over getting a new logo, one that represents our brand better and can be used when we franchise. As I meandered around, I found an article that I found some great insights in. It’s titled What is a Theatre Critic’s Job?. I love that author Matthew Teague Miller says: “As a producer, I feel like I understand the need for theatre critics. Few things result in a bump in ticket sales the way that a good review does.” As I look to branch out our FRR brand, I know that quality, productive, positively written reviews provide the best marketing bang for your buck. This whole world is run on how things are reviewed, from an Airbnb room for rent to a taco stand in Salt Lake City to a pair of slacks on Amazon. Seriously–we want to know what others think before we shell out our dough. And that’s what Front Row Reviewers Utah does! We give you a very good idea of what you’ll see.
Do we ever say, “don’t go see this”? Nope. We write reviews that can give you the information you need so you can make an informed decision.
We’re excited to bring the Front Row Reviewers brand to other areas. The more theaters we review, the more actors we bring into our family, the more singers we listen to, the more we realize that the arts are alive and well and need to be supported.
So, thank you for an amazing 2017. Please stay with us as we grow, progress, and keep #CelebratingTheGoodInUtahArts…. and all kinds of arts all over the place! If you want to become part of the Front Row Reviewers family, hit us up. We like good folks like you!
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