Monday, September 5, 2016

A Look Back in Time (Part 1): Review stats - 2001 through 2014 (my editorial career)

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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