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theater critic

theater critic

4 4.8
A person who writes reviews of plays for newspapers or websites
  • noun
  • /ˈθiːətər ˈkrɪtɪk/
  • Literature
translation icon : crítico de teatro
  • So no serious editor in his or her right mind would be without a theatre critic like Michael Billington.

Examples

  • - Say you're a theatre critic for the Times.

  • Early in 1985, while I was still a theater critic, I wrote an article called "Why We Need Broadway" in which, among other things, I said I was not getting the full Broadway experience because, as a member of the press, I was given free seats.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • And the problem with a lot of critics is that they start out as theater critics.

  • Shortly after this article appeared, the Saturday Review, the magazine for which I was then the theater critic, collapsed.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Hazlitt was both a literary and theatre critic.

    Academic text (2009)
  • Every theater critic, in those moments when he is being completely honest, realizes that he goes to plays in two different ways.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Theater critics and a good many higher-browed intellectuals, however, suggested that time had simply passed Miller by.

    Academic text (2005)
  • Theater critic Welton Jones recalled: "I went to one of the last hotel auctions."

    Blog text (8)
  • The acumen and insight of his commentary led to his first assignment as a theater critic and resulted in the review of the Swedish premiere of Hedda Gabler, which was published in Dagens Nyheter on 21 February 1891.

    Academic text (1996)
  • As a renowned theater critic, she gives insightful reviews of every performance she attends.

Synonyms

critic
vstheater critic
314 3.2

A person who gives opinions about art, books, films, or music, often as a job

focuses specifically on theatrical performances rather than many art forms
reviewer
vstheater critic
118 3.1

A person who reads and checks the quality of a paper, proposal, or code

specializes in theatrical performances for publications rather than technical or general reviews
drama critic
vstheater critic
  • Literature
2 4.6

A person who writes reviews of plays for newspapers or magazines

is the same role but often named with different wording in print

How Influential

newspaper critic
  • Literature
1 3.3
theater critic
  • Literature
4 4.8
spectator
123 2.6

Surface Forms

Morphology

theater + critic

The meaning 'a person who reviews theatrical performances' is directly and predictably composed from 'theater' (the domain) + 'critic' (a person who issues opinions). This noun–noun compound follows a common, cross-linguistic pattern specifying the type of critic, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Theater critic comes from the idea that a critic 'judges' a theater show. Imagine a person in the audience taking notes about what works and what does not, so a theater critic today is someone who writes reviews of plays.