Justin Clarke
The pandemic & lockdowns forced a lot of creatives to rethink their creative practice. For theatre lover Justin Clarke this rethink led to his Australian based theatre blog, Theatre Thoughts, taking on a whole new look, expanding the team & even a new form of media output. In a recent discussion with Justin we connected with him about just how similar his journey with Theatre Thoughts & ours as Pario has been.
Perhaps the biggest similarity between Pario & Theatre Thoughts came during the pandemic lockdown of Sydney. For Justin, who was primarily focusing on theatre reviews & some feature editorial the lockdown meant that Sydney's theatre scene, & thus Theatre Thoughts, was non-existent. Here at Pario we had a similar experience with music events & film releases drying up. To counter these slowdowns we launched The Commentary Booth in the midst of the lockdowns whereas Justin waited a little longer to generate extra momentum as live theatre returned.
"It wasn't until the end of 2021 as lockdown was lifting that I knew I wanted to rejuvenate Theatre Thoughts with a new logo & new website," explained Justin. "I also knew I needed something that made me stand out from all of the other reviewers, Theatre People/Theatre Matters & Stage Whispers are the big contenders but I needed something for me that was different, so the Theatre Thoughts podcast was born."
With the Theatre Thoughts podcast now operating alongside the website Justin's team has grown significantly, both in Sydney & Melbourne. "We've now got roughly 9 or so reviewers in Sydney & a team of 6 people in Melbourne," said Justin before adding, "Melbourne has been a great addition to the site & my editor Charlotte Smee made that happen."
In terms of what Theatre Thoughts offers Australian theatre lovers Justin says, "we're focused on introducing a range of creative artists across the theatre industry - ranging from the professional theatre scene to the independent theatre scene." While chatting with Justin his passion for the smaller independent theatre scene in Australia was clear & infectious.
"I love going to see Jagged Little Pill or Moulin Rouge, which by the way is incredible, but I'm really diverging towards the smaller shows because they are such good quality that I feel like more people need to see them... In terms of independent theatre there are a range of companies that do great stuff. Kings Cross Theatre in particular pump out really high quality shows, as do Griffin Theatre. Oh and Belvoir as well, there are so many!"
In closing out our conversation with Justin we wondered how & where he developed such a strong passion for theatre. As we came to learn this has been a passion which didn't just form overnight but rather it which something which had been building & building over the course of Justin's life.
"I was performing when I was very young & my mum put me into after school drama club," revealed Justin. "From there I did drama in high school as the only boy in my class during year 11 & 12. My teachers during that time really instilled a passion for drama in me, with one of my English teachers giving me a real passion for Shakespeare."
That passion then saw Justin attempt to make it as an actor before deciding to pursue a Performing Arts degree at uni "to build my knowledge on the professional side of the industry."
Keep up with Justin at: www.TheatreThoughtsAus.online
Listen to the Theatre Thoughts podcast on Apple & Spotify
Keep up with Theatre Thoughts Australia on social media at: @TheatreThoughtsAus
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