MEET THE THEATRE JUDGES
DAVID BENEDICT (Chair)
Variety
David Benedict is a culture critic and broadcaster. After reading drama at Hull University he worked as an actor and director before becoming daily columnist, theatre editor and associate arts editor of The Independent. He was arts editor of The Observer and in 2006 he joined Variety as chief London critic. He has written extensively for the Financial Times, Evening Standard, The Guardian and Wall Street Journal Europe and is joint lead columnist for The Stage where he also reviews theatre and opera. A regular guest on BBC’s Front Row and other TV and radio arts programmes, he also plays Tristram Hawkshaw on The Archers.
ALEXANDRA COGHLAN
The Independent and The Spectator
Alexandra Coghlan is a freelance music journalist, critic and author. She has written for The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The i Paper, Prospect, The Spectator, Opera and Gramophone magazines, and contributes programme notes to Glyndebourne, the BBC Proms, Barbican, Salzburg Festival, Scottish Opera, ENO and The Royal Opera. She makes regular appearances on Radio 3 and 4, and is Glyndebourne’s Opera Specialist. Her book Carols From King’s is published by Ebury.
SARAH CROMPTON
The Observer and Whatsonstage, Dance and Theatre
Sarah Crompton is one of Britain’s most respected writers and broadcasters, commentating on all aspects of culture. She reviews theatre for WhatsOnStage and dance for the Observer. Her work appears in the Guardian, the Sunday Times, The Times, and British and American Vogue. She produces a weekly theatre podcast “As the Actress Said to the Critic” with the actress Nancy Carroll. A regular contributor to the BBC’s Front Row, she was previously the Arts Editor in Chief of the Daily Telegraph, where she wrote a regular sports column for a decade.
MARK FISHER
The Guardian, Scottish Theatre
Mark Fisher is a freelance theatre critic and feature writer based in Edinburgh and has written about theatre since the late-1980s. He is a theatre critic for The Guardian, a former editor of The List magazine and a contributor to publications all over the world. He is the co-editor of the play anthology Made in Scotland (1995), and the author of The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide (2012) and How to Write About Theatre (2015) – all Bloomsbury Methuen Drama.
DOMINIC MAXWELL
The Sunday Times & The Times, Theatre
Dominic Maxwell is a theatre and comedy critic for The Sunday Times and The Times. He studied philosophy at the University of Sussex, which gave him the edge on the pointlessness of all things. That done, and with a letter from the dole office telling he was about to get an extra fiver a week because he was turning 25, he got his act together, did a journalism course, and (eventually) got a job at The Times. Previous jobs include writing for Time Out, the Sunday Telegraph and Metro, where he was briefly arts editor until the call came from The Times.
HOLLY O’MAHONY
The Stage
Holly O’Mahony is a theatre critic, culture writer and editor. She reviews theatre regularly for The Stage and London Theatre, and is the UK editor for Backstage magazine. She also serves on the judging panel of The Stage Debut Awards. Her writing has appeared in Exeunt, The i Paper, the London Standard, British Vogue, Stylist and The Guardian, where she previously worked full-time, editing the late-lamented Guardian Soulmates blog and Guardian Jobs careers advice section.
MARK VALENCIA
Freelance, Opera
Mark Valencia is an opera critic who draws on a long career in theatre and drama education as well as an enduring passion for lyric theatre. For 12 years he reviewed theatre, musical theatre and opera for WhatsOnStage, and since 2018 he has been a critic for Opera magazine. In his spare time he covers classical music, plus yet more opera, for Bachtrack and Musical America.
LYNDSEY WINSHIP
The Guardian
Lyndsey Winship is dance critic for The Guardian. Previously, she was dance editor at Time Out, and has written on dance for the Evening Standard, Daily Telegraph, The Times, The Independent and various national and international magazines. Her book, Being a Dancer, was published in 2015. Elsewhere in her freelance career, Lyndsey has produced and directed short-form video, worked on the BBC’s Culture Show, edited websites for reality TV shows and campaigned for music education.
