Hello, and welcome to Exeunt – or for some of you, that’s welcome back. Welcome to our new home on Substack: a way to deliver in-depth, inventive, fierce and playful writing about theatre, straight to your inboxes.
Exeunt gives critics the freedom to expand beyond tight deadlines and brutal word counts, and to give theatre and performance the consideration and thought it deserves across essays, longform reviews, investigations, dialogues and debate. Please join us.
The story so far… and what’s next
Exeunt was founded as an online magazine in 2011 by Natasha Tripney and Daniel B. Yates, and quickly became essential reading for theatre-lovers in the UK and beyond – for both the reverence and irreverence with which it treated the artform. In 2016, Alice Saville took over as editor, and steered the website and a dedicated community of writers until it became financially unsustainable in 2022.
But now, it’s time for Exeunt 2.0… and I hope old and new readers alike will join us in our home on Substack. Exeunt has been relaunched by me, arts journalist and author Holly Williams, as the new editor, with a little help from Alice and Natasha.
Things are a bit different here. We’ll publish two newsletters a week, on Tuesdays and (usually) Fridays – and you can expect deep-dive essays, lively group discussions, boundary-pushing criticism, essential explorations of under-reported issues within British theatre, and the sharpest round-ups and recommendations.
Support independent criticism
Exeunt publishes two newsletters a week – one free, and one for paid subscribers.
Exeunt can only flourish with your support. We’re in an impossibly difficult climate for journalism – and for arts journalism in particular, with coverage and budgets continually shrinking. I want Exeunt to be a space that works better for writers, readers, and everyone who loves theatre. But no matter how much you love it, writing about it for free isn’t healthy or sustainable. Theatre criticism shouldn’t be the preserve of the wealthy.
So if you missed Exeunt while it was gone, or think independent criticism sounds like a good thing, subscribing is the very best way to help make it viable and sustainable. A paid subscription costs just £5 a month – that’s less than a single drink in most theatres – or £55 a year.
Or become a Founder member, and help high-quality and exciting writing about theatre thrive by choosing to support us with a higher-tier subscription of £100 a year. Substack takes ten per cent, and all the rest goes directly to paying writers and editors. By paying for the journalism you read, you’ll help Exeunt to host the very best writers, and give new and emerging critical voices the support and exposure they deserve.
Want to really help Exeunt thrive? You can make a one-off donation – with no upper limit! – by clicking on the button below. Make sure to include your email address to ensure you get signed up for a year’s subscription.
You can also help us out by sharing the word. Tell your friends, lovers, bosses, parents, students, or anyone you find yourself sitting next to in the theatre about Exeunt. Share on X, Threads, Instagram, or on this very platform, by clicking below:
Get involved!
Exeunt has always been about nurturing new and unheard voices, and I’d love to hear from writers who have something to say, or want to play with new ways of saying it. Voices from under-resourced and under-represented backgrounds, and those outside London, are especially encouraged. I also welcome article suggestions and ideas from artists, theatre-makers, and industry voices.
Send me your most exciting, urgent, angry, or whimsical ideas at: exeunt.inbox@gmail.com.
Holly Williams, editor of Exeunt
