As a producer though, if I think the show is ready, and it is good, I want to be reviewed as early on as possible, because good press helps me sell tickets. This is the part of the Factory’s decision that I don’t understand.

It’s the business decision aspect of this that makes no sense to me.

Aislinn, you have over 200 seats a night to sell, and you’re co-producing. I assume this means making money is of some importance to you.

I get wanting to make those mainstream reviews count for less at the box office. I also get that younger people go to other sources for information.

I’m just not sure audience comments on twitter and reviewproject.org are going to put bums in seats the way you need, to sell over 200 seats a night in a highly competitive, and over-crowded market.

I’d be very interested to hear how this works out for you. Merde.

I would like to respond to Aislinn’s comment “we might have communicated it differently to the press.” When the media come to us and say “We are thinking of not reviewing any shows at SummerWorks this year, is that okay with you?” or “We are cutting all our space for preview or feature stories in order to focus solely on Hollywood and celebrity gossip items, but if that doesn’t work we will cover you again,” then perhaps we can also include them in the decisions we are making about our work.

I have been working with the theatre media in Toronto and Canada for over 20 years and their first, and often only, priority is to sell newspapers, etc. That is their business. But still, I have spent the last two decades trying to find ways for theatre artists and the media to play nice together. And, I 100% support this Factory decision.

In response to Michael’s “surprisingly vehement response to Factory’s decision,” the vehemence has come 99% from media – legit or otherwise. Not theatrelovers.

I really appreciate Martin’s comments below, and rest assured we will be providing all audience members who attend Factory shows a variety of ways to provide feedback, both publicly and anonymously, in order to facilitate the conversation this decision was intended to generate. A conversation between people who choose to go to the theatre because they want the kind of experiences in their life that only live theatre can offer.

Members of the media who wish to attend BUNKER’s media night on October 21, or any following performance, are more than welcome.

The other question is specifically for Aislinn: given Factory’s recent history, if you’d known this move would generate the kind of pushback that would force you to occasionally walk away from your desk, would you have made the move?