The Critics’ Circle is the UK organisation for professional criticism of the arts, with over 500 members across its Theatre (Drama), Music, Film, Dance, Visual Arts, and Books sections.
Admission to the Circle is by invitation from the Council, for accredited, working critics.
The Critics’ Circle’s founding members were drama critics, and the Circle was established in 1913 by SR Littlewood, critic for the Daily Chronicle, JT Grein, and John Parker.
The Drama Section holds an annual Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards.
The Drama Section is also affiliated to the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC).
Drama Section – Members
Below is a current list of members of the Critics’ Circle Drama Section. This list is correct as of 25 April 2025. See the Critics’ Circle website for updates
- David Adams
- Samira Ahmed
- Arifa Akbar
- Aliya Al-Hassan
- Claire Allfree
- Michael Arditti
- Nick Awde
- Tim Bano
- Jonathan Baz
- David Benedict
- Raymond V Bennett
- Gerald Berkowitz
- Michael Billington
- Theo Bosanquet
- Daisy Bowie-Sell
- Clare M Brennan
- Georgina Brown
- Mark Brown
- Robert Butler
- Simon Button
- Laura Cappelle
- Julie Carpenter
- Dominic Cavendish
- David Chadderton
- Ned Chaillet
- James Christopher
- Susannah Clapp
- Nigel Cliff
- Rich Cline
- Liz Coggins
- Alexander Cohen
- Clare Colvin
- Jim Cooke
- Neil Cooper
- Maddy Costa
- Michael Coveney
- Steve Cramer
- Sarah Crompton
- Nick Curtis
- Michael Darvell
- Clive Davis
- Colin Davison
- Neil Dowden
- Rod Dungate
- Jane Edwardes
- Susan Elkin
- John Elsom
- Mark Fisher
- Philip Fisher
- Lyn Gardner
- Sharon Garfinkel
- Miriam Gillinson
- Thelma Good
- Robert Gore-Langton
- Bill Hagerty
- Rachel Halliburton
- Andrew Haydon
- Sarah Hemming
- Ian Herbert
- Clive Hirschhorn
- Henry Hitchings
- Alun Hood
- Alan Hulme
- James Inverne
- Ian Johns
- Oliver Jones
- Nicholas de Jongh
- Stuart King
- Louise Kingsley
- Laura Kressly
- Kirsty Lang
- Mark Lawson
- Ruth Leon
- Paul Levy
- Catherine Love
- Lizzie Loveridge
- Howard Loxton
- Andrzej Lukowski
- Alastair Macaulay
- Kate Maltby
- Cindy Marcolina
- Diana Damian Martin
- Lisa Martland
- Blanche Marvin
- Scott Mathewman
- Dominic Maxwell
- Keith McKenna
- Joyce McMillan
- Hugh Montgomery
- Fergus Morgan
- Fiona Mountford
- John Nathan
- Gary Naylor
- Heather Neill
- Benedict Nightingale
- Garry Peter O’Connor
- Holly O’Mahony
- Chris Omaweng
- Terri Paddock
- Phil Penfold
- Maryam Philpott
- Lucy Popescu
- Lucy Powell
- Libby Purves
- Julia Rank
- Olivia Rook
- David Roper
- William Russell
- Rita Julia Sebestyen
- Victoria Segal
- Ian Shuttleworth
- Aleks Sierz
- Neil Smith
- Nick Smurthwaite
- Charles Spencer
- Marianka Swain
- Siobhan Synnot
- Maxie Szalwinska
- Robert Tanitch
- John Russell Taylor
- Natasha Tripney
- Paul Vale
- Sonny Waheed
- Jasmine Valentine Waters
- Rosemary Waugh
- Tom Wicker
- Holly Williams
- Carole Woddis
- Matt Wolf
- Alexander Wood
HONORARY MEMBERS, as listed above, are:
- Michael Billington
- Michael Coveney
- Ian Herbert
- Clive Hirschhorn
- Nicholas de Jongh
- Blanche Marvin
- Garry Peter O’Connor
- William Russell
- Charles Spencer
- John Russell Taylor
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