 |
Can you guess who the gentleman with his back to us is?
If memory serves me correct, it was my first introduction to the
great Joe Bailey way back in May 2002! |
Every year around Wilde Awards time I'm asked the following questions: How many reviews have we done over the years? And how many shows have I personally reviewed?
Although I've kept track of every review published by Between The Lines and/or EncoreMichigan.com from the start of my editorial career in the fall of 2001 through its end in August 2016, much of it has been in different types of documents (Word vs. Excel, for example) and in formats that varied considerably from document to document. And so because of the sheer volume of information and the differences in which it was recorded, I'd never taken the time to sort through it all and assemble the material into a single, coherent, easy-to-follow document.
Until now, that is.
And once I'd collected the information into a database that allowed me to analyze it in great detail, I decided it would be interesting to view it a number of different ways. The results, I discovered, were quite intriguing. I think you will, too - which I'll separate into two separate posts. Today's analysis will cover the years in which I first joined Between The Lines as a critic and ends with my simultaneous retirements as theater and arts editor of BTL and editorial director of EncoreMichigan.com, both of which occurred with the last review of 2014.
But first the usual caveats: Every attempt was made to be as accurate as possible while assembling this data. However, it's possible that a show or two may have been missed, or that last minute changes to our review schedule may not have been documented in the original records. As such, we apologize for any errors that may appear in this data.
The Calamia Years:
I call these "The Calamia Years" because except for my first few months at BTL during which I reported to an editor, the vast majority of my 14 years there was as an editor. As such, the decisions regarding which shows to review, preview or otherwise write about were mine. And all copy was edited by me. In other words, other than the rates paid to our freelancers, I was in control of our theater coverage - and that continued until my retirement on Dec. 20, 2014.
So how did I do?
In total, 1700 shows produced or presented by 125 companies were reviewed by 22 critics in 14 years. That averages out to approximately 121 productions per calendar year. That's pretty damn good, don't you think?
Here's the number of years for each of the 14 calendar years:
|
|
Year |
|
Reviews |
| 1 |
|
2001 |
|
10 |
| 2 |
|
2002 |
|
54 |
| 3 |
|
2003 |
|
72 |
| 4 |
|
2004 |
|
97 |
| 5 |
|
2005 |
|
99 |
| 6 |
|
2006 |
|
90 |
| 7 |
|
2007 |
|
119 |
| 8 |
|
2008 |
|
103 |
| 9 |
|
2009 |
|
116 |
| 10 |
|
2010 |
|
164 |
| 11 |
|
2011 |
|
210 |
| 12 |
|
2012 |
|
187 |
| 13 |
|
2013 |
|
178 |
| 14 |
|
2014 |
|
201 |
|
|
|
|
1700 |
This next chart breaks down the number of reviews by critic. My first review for BTL was "Guys & Dolls" at Detroit's Fisher Theatre on Oct. 9, 2001 (or possibly the 10th, I'm not sure), and I was the sole critic for the first 102 reviews. John Quinn joined me almost two years later (in September 2003), and the rest - as they say - is history!
One thing you'll notice as you match this chart to the one above is that the total number of reviews don't match. That's OK; they're not supposed to, because multiple critics were used to review two years of the BoxFest Detroit Festival. As such, each critic is credited separately in the chart below.
|
|
Critic |
|
|
|
| 1 |
|
Calamia |
613 |
|
36.0% |
| 2 |
|
Quinn |
354 |
|
20.8% |
| 3 |
|
Redman |
168 |
|
9.9% |
| 6 |
|
Blackburn |
124 |
|
7.3% |
| 7 |
|
Kohn |
91 |
|
5.3% |
| 8 |
|
Bethune |
69 |
|
4.1% |
| 9 |
|
Hayes-Harmer |
69 |
|
4.1% |
| 10 |
|
McKee |
51 |
|
3.0% |
| 11 |
|
Casadei |
45 |
|
2.6% |
| 12 |
|
Margolin |
45 |
|
2.6% |
| 13 |
|
Rubens |
39 |
|
2.3% |
| 14 |
|
Merrell |
27 |
|
1.6% |
| 15 |
|
Parrent |
6 |
|
0.4% |
| 16 |
|
Kennedy |
2 |
|
0.1% |
|
|
|
1703 |
|
100% |
This next chart documents which theaters were reviewed and how many times we visited each. To make it easy for my readers who want to easily find their favorite theater, this chart is listed alphabetically.
|
|
Producer / Presenter |
|
| 1 |
|
1515 Broadway |
5 |
| 2 |
|
4Theatre Sake |
1 |
| 3 |
|
7th Heaven |
1 |
| 4 |
|
8th Wonder Theatre |
1 |
| 5 |
|
About Face Theatre |
1 |
| 6 |
|
African Renaissance Theater of Detroit |
5 |
| 7 |
|
Andiamo Novi Theatre |
15 |
| 8 |
|
Arbor Opera Theater |
1 |
| 9 |
|
Bailiwick Repertory Theatre |
1 |
| 10 |
|
Barn Theatre |
15 |
| 11 |
|
Blackbird Theatre |
32 |
| 12 |
|
BoarsHead Theater |
38 |
| 13 |
|
BoxFest Detroit |
6 |
| 14 |
|
Breathe Art Theatre Project |
19 |
| 15 |
|
Broadway Grand Rapids |
7 |
| 16 |
|
Broadway in Detroit: Detroit Opera
House |
11 |
| 17 |
|
Broadway in Detroit: Fisher Theatre |
74 |
| 18 |
|
Broadway in Detroit: Masonic Temple |
8 |
| 19 |
|
Broadway Onstage Live Theatre |
28 |
| 20 |
|
Capital TheaterWorks |
3 |
| 21 |
|
Center Stage Entertainment |
1 |
| 22 |
|
Cornwell's Dinner Theatre |
5 |
| 23 |
|
Detroit Actors Guild Productions |
1 |
| 24 |
|
Detroit Ensemble Theatre |
16 |
| 25 |
|
Detroit Repertory Theatre |
42 |
| 26 |
|
Epicenter Theatre Group |
3 |
| 27 |
|
Evelyn Orbach Productions |
1 |
| 28 |
|
Farmers Alley Theatre |
32 |
| 29 |
|
Five Cents Short |
1 |
| 30 |
|
Flanders Theater Company |
4 |
| 31 |
|
Flint Youth Theatre |
3 |
| 32 |
|
Fratellanza |
1 |
| 33 |
|
Front Row Productions |
1 |
| 34 |
|
Gem & Century Theatres |
30 |
| 35 |
|
George Productions |
1 |
| 36 |
|
Go Comedy! Improv Theater |
51 |
| 37 |
|
Great Escape Stage Company |
8 |
| 38 |
|
Henry Ford College's Virtual
Theatricality Lab |
1 |
| 39 |
|
Hilberry Theatre |
87 |
| 40 |
|
Hole in the Wall Theatre Company |
1 |
| 41 |
|
Hope Summer Repertory Theatre |
25 |
| 42 |
|
Improv Inferno |
8 |
| 43 |
|
Ixion |
2 |
| 44 |
|
Khoros, Inc. |
1 |
| 45 |
|
LCC Theatre |
1 |
| 46 |
|
Macomb Center for the Performing Arts |
1 |
| 47 |
|
Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company |
16 |
| 48 |
|
Mason Street Warehouse |
17 |
| 49 |
|
Matrix Theatre Company |
20 |
| 50 |
|
Meadow Brook Theatre |
77 |
| 51 |
|
Michigan Actors Studio |
3 |
| 52 |
|
Michigan Opera Theatre |
20 |
| 53 |
|
Michigan Shakespeare Festival |
26 |
| 54 |
|
Miller Auditorium |
2 |
| 55 |
|
Mixed Company Troupe |
1 |
| 56 |
|
Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit |
1 |
| 57 |
|
Motoprism |
1 |
| 58 |
|
Music Hall Center for the Performing
Arts |
2 |
| 59 |
|
Nerve |
1 |
| 60 |
|
New York Dinner Theater |
1 |
| 61 |
|
Nieto Productions |
2 |
| 62 |
|
NoSuch Group |
1 |
| 63 |
|
Olympia Entertainment & The
Ringwald |
1 |
| 64 |
|
Olympia Entertainment: City Theatre |
19 |
| 65 |
|
Olympia Entertainment: Fox Theatre |
15 |
| 66 |
|
Olympia Entertainment: Joe Louis Arena |
2 |
| 67 |
|
Open Book Theatre Company |
2 |
| 68 |
|
Palace of Auburn Hills |
1 |
| 69 |
|
Performance Network Theatre |
79 |
| 70 |
|
Phases Theatre Company |
2 |
| 71 |
|
Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company |
12 |
| 72 |
|
Planet Ant Theatre |
113 |
| 73 |
|
Play with Your Food Dinner Theatre |
1 |
| 74 |
|
Plowshares Theatre Company |
21 |
| 75 |
|
PuppetART |
4 |
| 76 |
|
Puzzle Piece Theatre |
4 |
| 77 |
|
Riverbank Theatre |
1 |
| 78 |
|
Shakespeare in Detroit |
2 |
| 79 |
|
Shop Floor Theatre Company |
1 |
| 80 |
|
Slipstream Theatre Initiative |
1 |
| 81 |
|
StarBrite Theatrical Productions |
20 |
| 82 |
|
Stark Turn Players |
1 |
| 83 |
|
Stormfield Theatre |
8 |
| 84 |
|
Stratford Shakespeare Festival |
12 |
| 85 |
|
Summer Circle Theatre |
5 |
| 86 |
|
The Abreact |
42 |
| 87 |
|
The Acorn Theater |
1 |
| 88 |
|
The Actors' Company |
3 |
| 89 |
|
The AKT Theatre Project |
6 |
| 90 |
|
The Bach Dor Shakespeare Company |
1 |
| 91 |
|
The Box Theater |
26 |
| 92 |
|
The Dio - Dining & Entertainment /
Dionysus Theatre |
10 |
| 93 |
|
The Elizabeth Theater Company / Park
Bar Theater |
6 |
| 94 |
|
The Encore Musical Theatre Company |
32 |
| 95 |
|
The Hinterlands |
1 |
| 96 |
|
The Jewish Ensemble Theatre Company |
66 |
| 97 |
|
The Last Word LLC |
1 |
| 98 |
|
The Music Box at The Max / Detroit
Symphony Orchestra |
1 |
| 99 |
|
The New Theatre Project |
8 |
| 100 |
|
The Penny Seats Theatre Company |
1 |
| 101 |
|
The Purple Rose Theatre Company |
49 |
| 102 |
|
The Ringwald Theatre / Who Wants Cake?
Theatre |
75 |
| 103 |
|
The Second City - Detroit |
24 |
| 104 |
|
The Snug Theatre |
11 |
| 105 |
|
Theatre 1 |
1 |
| 106 |
|
Thick Knot Rhythm Ensemble |
3 |
| 107 |
|
Threefold Productions |
3 |
| 108 |
|
Tibbits Opera House / Tibbits Summer
Theatre |
21 |
| 109 |
|
Tipping Point Theatre |
36 |
| 110 |
|
TNT Productions |
3 |
| 111 |
|
Torch With a Twist |
1 |
| 112 |
|
Two Muses Theatre |
13 |
| 113 |
|
UDM Theatre Company |
37 |
| 114 |
|
Uncovered Theatre Company |
1 |
| 115 |
|
University Musical Society |
4 |
| 116 |
|
Van Buren Street Theatre |
1 |
| 117 |
|
Walk & Squawk Performance Project |
3 |
| 118 |
|
Water Works Theatre Company |
8 |
| 119 |
|
West End Productions |
1 |
| 120 |
|
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts |
13 |
| 121 |
|
What A Do Theatre |
14 |
| 122 |
|
Wild Swan Theater |
2 |
| 123 |
|
Williamston Theatre |
46 |
| 124 |
|
Y-Arts Detroit |
1 |
| 125 |
|
Zeitgeist Theatre |
6 |
|
|
|
1700 |
Today's final chart presents the same data as the chart above, but sorted by the number of times we reviewed at each theater, from the most visits to the least. Would you have guessed the Top 5 theaters in the following sequence?
|
|
Producer / Presenter |
|
| 1 |
|
Planet Ant Theatre |
113 |
| 2 |
|
Hilberry Theatre |
87 |
| 3 |
|
Performance Network Theatre |
79 |
| 4 |
|
Meadow Brook Theatre |
77 |
| 5 |
|
The Ringwald Theatre / Who Wants Cake?
Theatre |
75 |
| 6 |
|
Broadway in Detroit: Fisher Theatre |
74 |
| 7 |
|
The Jewish Ensemble Theatre Company |
66 |
| 8 |
|
Go Comedy! Improv Theater |
51 |
| 9 |
|
The Purple Rose Theatre Company |
49 |
| 10 |
|
Williamston Theatre |
46 |
| 11 |
|
Detroit Repertory Theatre |
42 |
| 12 |
|
The Abreact |
42 |
| 13 |
|
BoarsHead Theater |
38 |
| 14 |
|
UDM Theatre Company |
37 |
| 15 |
|
Tipping Point Theatre |
36 |
| 16 |
|
Blackbird Theatre |
32 |
| 17 |
|
Farmers Alley Theatre |
32 |
| 18 |
|
The Encore Musical Theatre Company |
32 |
| 19 |
|
Gem & Century Theatres |
30 |
| 20 |
|
Broadway Onstage Live Theatre |
28 |
| 21 |
|
Michigan Shakespeare Festival |
26 |
| 22 |
|
The Box Theater |
26 |
| 23 |
|
Hope Summer Repertory Theatre |
25 |
| 24 |
|
The Second City - Detroit |
24 |
| 25 |
|
Plowshares Theatre Company |
21 |
| 26 |
|
Tibbits Opera House / Tibbits Summer
Theatre |
21 |
| 27 |
|
Matrix Theatre Company |
20 |
| 28 |
|
Michigan Opera Theatre |
20 |
| 29 |
|
StarBrite Theatrical Productions |
20 |
| 30 |
|
Breathe Art Theatre Project |
19 |
| 31 |
|
Olympia Entertainment: City Theatre |
19 |
| 32 |
|
Mason Street Warehouse |
17 |
| 33 |
|
Detroit Ensemble Theatre |
16 |
| 34 |
|
Magenta Giraffe Theatre Company |
16 |
| 35 |
|
Andiamo Novi Theatre |
15 |
| 36 |
|
Barn Theatre |
15 |
| 37 |
|
Olympia Entertainment: Fox Theatre |
15 |
| 38 |
|
What A Do Theatre |
14 |
| 39 |
|
Two Muses Theatre |
13 |
| 40 |
|
Wharton Center for the Performing Arts |
13 |
| 41 |
|
Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company |
12 |
| 42 |
|
Stratford Shakespeare Festival |
12 |
| 43 |
|
Broadway in Detroit: Detroit Opera
House |
11 |
| 44 |
|
The Snug Theatre |
11 |
| 45 |
|
The Dio - Dining & Entertainment /
Dionysus Theatre |
10 |
| 46 |
|
Broadway in Detroit: Masonic Temple |
8 |
| 47 |
|
Great Escape Stage Company |
8 |
| 48 |
|
Improv Inferno |
8 |
| 49 |
|
Stormfield Theatre |
8 |
| 50 |
|
The New Theatre Project |
8 |
| 51 |
|
Water Works Theatre Company |
8 |
| 52 |
|
Broadway Grand Rapids |
7 |
| 53 |
|
BoxFest Detroit |
6 |
| 54 |
|
The AKT Theatre Project |
6 |
| 55 |
|
The Elizabeth Theater Company / Park
Bar Theater |
6 |
| 56 |
|
Zeitgeist Theatre |
6 |
| 57 |
|
1515 Broadway |
5 |
| 58 |
|
African Renaissance Theater of Detroit |
5 |
| 59 |
|
Cornwell's Dinner Theatre |
5 |
| 60 |
|
Summer Circle Theatre |
5 |
| 61 |
|
Flanders Theater Company |
4 |
| 62 |
|
PuppetART |
4 |
| 63 |
|
Puzzle Piece Theatre |
4 |
| 64 |
|
University Musical Society |
4 |
| 65 |
|
Capital TheaterWorks |
3 |
| 66 |
|
Epicenter Theatre Group |
3 |
| 67 |
|
Flint Youth Theatre |
3 |
| 68 |
|
Michigan Actors Studio |
3 |
| 69 |
|
The Actors' Company |
3 |
| 70 |
|
Thick Knot Rhythm Ensemble |
3 |
| 71 |
|
Threefold Productions |
3 |
| 72 |
|
TNT Productions |
3 |
| 73 |
|
Walk & Squawk Performance Project |
3 |
| 74 |
|
Ixion |
2 |
| 75 |
|
Miller Auditorium |
2 |
| 76 |
|
Music Hall Center for the Performing
Arts |
2 |
| 77 |
|
Nieto Productions |
2 |
| 78 |
|
Olympia Entertainment: Joe Louis Arena |
2 |
| 79 |
|
Open Book Theatre Company |
2 |
| 80 |
|
Phases Theatre Company |
2 |
| 81 |
|
Shakespeare in Detroit |
2 |
| 82 |
|
Wild Swan Theater |
2 |
| 83 |
|
4Theatre Sake |
1 |
| 84 |
|
7th Heaven |
1 |
| 85 |
|
8th Wonder Theatre |
1 |
| 86 |
|
About Face Theatre |
1 |
| 87 |
|
Arbor Opera Theater |
1 |
| 88 |
|
Bailiwick Repertory Theatre |
1 |
| 89 |
|
Center Stage Entertainment |
1 |
| 90 |
|
Detroit Actors Guild Productions |
1 |
| 91 |
|
Evelyn Orbach Productions |
1 |
| 92 |
|
Five Cents Short |
1 |
| 93 |
|
Fratellanza |
1 |
| 94 |
|
Front Row Productions |
1 |
| 95 |
|
George Productions |
1 |
| 96 |
|
Henry Ford College's Virtual
Theatricality Lab |
1 |
| 97 |
|
Hole in the Wall Theatre Company |
1 |
| 98 |
|
Khoros, Inc. |
1 |
| 99 |
|
LCC Theatre |
1 |
| 100 |
|
Macomb Center for the Performing Arts |
1 |
| 101 |
|
Mixed Company Troupe |
1 |
| 102 |
|
Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit |
1 |
| 103 |
|
Motoprism |
1 |
| 104 |
|
Nerve |
1 |
| 105 |
|
New York Dinner Theater |
1 |
| 106 |
|
NoSuch Group |
1 |
| 107 |
|
Olympia Entertainment & The
Ringwald |
1 |
| 108 |
|
Palace of Auburn Hills |
1 |
| 109 |
|
Play with Your Food Dinner Theatre |
1 |
| 110 |
|
Riverbank Theatre |
1 |
| 111 |
|
Shop Floor Theatre Company |
1 |
| 112 |
|
Slipstream Theatre Initiative |
1 |
| 113 |
|
Stark Turn Players |
1 |
| 114 |
|
The Acorn Theater |
1 |
| 115 |
|
The Bach Dor Shakespeare Company |
1 |
| 116 |
|
The Hinterlands |
1 |
| 117 |
|
The Last Word LLC |
1 |
| 118 |
|
The Music Box at The Max / Detroit
Symphony Orchestra |
1 |
| 119 |
|
The Penny Seats Theatre Company |
1 |
| 120 |
|
Theatre 1 |
1 |
| 121 |
|
Torch With a Twist |
1 |
| 122 |
|
Uncovered Theatre Company |
1 |
| 123 |
|
Van Buren Street Theatre |
1 |
| 124 |
|
West End Productions |
1 |
| 125 |
|
Y-Arts Detroit |
1 |
|
|
|
1700 |
|
|
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