Twelve Days of Christmas: Day #3

Nicholas Hytner, who topped
The Times' 'Luvvie Power List'

As we near the end of another year, list-mania has struck. Journalistic institutions everywhere are compiling their highlights of 2010, be it theatre, film, music, sport - we can even turn to ITV to discover what is the best advert of the year should we so wish. One important list that has made waves in the theatre world is 'The Luvvie Power List' of the top 50 most influential figures in theatre, published in The Times recently. Therefore today's post takes a look at some of the responses to this particular list, providing links to a couple of the more interesting articles on this topic.

Whatsonstage.com's Michael Coveney congratulates the website's own editor Terri Paddock for making the list but bemoans the persistent use of the term 'luvvie', a word that he considers to be derogatory and trivialising. Coveney also speculates about who might take over from Nicholas Hytner, the list's number one, when he leaves the National Theatre, suggesting that perhaps some of the female directors on the list might rise to the challenge. I agree that it is about time more women were recognised and rewarded in this field, as female directors are often overlooked in both theatre and film. The tide appears to be turning in the movie world thanks to Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar win this year, so it can only be hoped that theatre will follow.

Meanwhile, Mark Shenton of The Stage shifts the spotlight to some of the lesser known and under-appreciated people behind this country's theatre. The very nature of this form of entertainment means that the majority of the work is done behind the scenes, by faceless names in small print in the back pages of your theatre programme, so it is both refreshing and enlightening to see these unsung heroes recognised and praised. Working in theatre is to a large extent a labour of love, done for the rewards of the job rather than any significant financial remuneration; in that sense of the word, if no other, we might then see the term 'luvvie' as justified.

One notable disappointment of the list, highlighted by Shenton, is the absence of theatre critics from the ranks of theatre's movers and shakers. Surely critical reception is a significant barometer for the success of a show starting out, and productions without the might of large financial backing and big names can sink or swim on the back of reviews. It is encouraging for bloggers everywhere, however, to see the West End Whingers listed, illustrating just how influential non-professional reviewers can be, hopefully the sign of a shift towards greater respect for bloggers in the theatre journalism community.

For those partial to a bit of list-mania at this time of year, there are round-ups of theatre's best bits of 2010 on The Stage, The Independent, Spoonfed and The Telegraph, among many others.