When I saw Theatre Fandom: Engaged Audiences in the Twenty-First Century, edited by Kirsty Sedgman, Francesca Coppa and Matt Hills listed on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to request it. After all, this seemed like the perfect fit for this theatre blog that I’m trying to get off the ground. So many thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher for making this available to me. 

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As the title suggests, Theatre Fandom is a collection of essays that cover the intersections between theatre and fandom. The authors come from a number of different disciplines. 

Many of the essays in Theatre Fandom lean more academic, which should come as no surprise if you consider that it’s published by the University of Iowa Press and features authors with an academic background. Which, I mean, I think readers who tend to read more academic books are probably the ones going to be reading Theatre Fandom anyway. Additionally, I think the editors are hoping that Theatre Fandom gets assigned in classroom settings as well.

Some of my favorite essays in Theatre Fandom included ones about high frequency theatre attendees, Danial Kitson (whom I was not familiar with prior and would love to learn more about), an essay about RENT, an essay about Hamilton, and an essay about how theatre fans in Europe and Asia experience Western theatre. 

I think it’s relevant to mention that Theatre Fandom contains discussion of A Very Potter Musical and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. As you may be aware, JK Rowling has been very vocal about her transphobia, to the point of funding anti-transgender organizations in the UK in recent years. And her bigotry doesn’t end there. This information isn’t addressed anywhere in Theatre Fandom. I want to give the authors and editors some grace here; I appreciate that a work like this takes time to research, write and publish. Rowling’s bigotry may not have been as well known during the early stages of the process. That said, if Theatre Fandom ever gets updated - or a similar collection ever gets published - I’d love to see this addressed. Maybe an essay about how former fans are interacting with these works in light of learning of Rowling’s ideology. 

I also want to note that the list price for Theatre Fandom is $85. While this might be in line with pricing for a University Press, I’m not sure it’s worth that price point. While I thought some of the essays were very good and worth reading, I didn’t think they were worth $85. My advice to anyone interested in reading Theatre Fandom? Consider getting it from the library or buying it second hand.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.