Massie-Blomfield’s gorgeously written, heart-felt book is about the artists and the audiences and what they bring to each space and what they leave behind.
Lyn Gardner, The Stage
This is a beautifully written book, informative and considered, offering hope about the arts and what they can achieve – and it’s also a handy travel guide that I’ll consult when planning weekends away or day trips.
Lynn Enright, The Pool
Wide-ranging, open-minded ... Massie-Blomfield conducts a sustained and deep inquiry into what theatre is and what it does, how it is affected by place, and how it can profoundly change individuals and communities.
Holly Williams, TLS
The book is infectious in its passion for what is possible in a theatre ... not just the grand, gilded, spotlit theatres of old, but also the ramshackle and the penniless, the dog-eared and the much-loved. These are spaces of wonder and joy...
Daisy Bowie-Sell
Twenty Theatres To See Before You Die doesn’t read like a dry, academic tome. Like theatre itself, it’s personable, has something to say, and as much a critique of the past as a gauge of what is yet to come.
★★★★
Michael Davis, Breaking the Fourth Wall
With a friendly and warm tone that mixes storytelling with analytical style, Amber Massie-Blomfield concisely examines theatre’s value to the wider community, whether it is its history, architecture or inclusivity that has made an impact.
★★★★
Phoebe Cole, The Spy in the Stalls
Passionate and insightful ... an important work for our times.
Benjamin Yeoh, Then Do Better
The communities, the gathering of strangers and the idea that anything is possible warms the heart. [...] This book is not a bucket list of theatres to check out, [but] a charming collection of stories featuring people, memories and communities.
Caroline King, Contrary Life
A fascinating read for anyone with an interest in the history of theatre.
Emma Clarendon, Love London Love Culture
I loved
Twenty Theatres to See Before You Die more than I can say. It’s a beautiful, beautifully written book, that deserves to win prizes.
David Eldridge, playwright
Amber Massie-Blomfied’s lively, informative and hugely enjoyable book turned out to be the perfect lockdown getaway.
★★★★★
Paul T. Davies, BritishTheatre.com
Masterful ... this book reminds us of why we want theatre in the first place, and why we want to save it.
Sage Fitzpatrick, My Theatre Mates
I now feel like I have travelled the length and breath of the country with Massie-Bloomfield and experienced all of these theatres with her ... This book, like the theatre [she] describes, is a ‘glimmer in the dark.’
Sarah McPartlan, Musical Theatre Musings
Media coverage
The most spectacular theatres to visit in the UK.
Amber Massie-Blomfield writing in The i
The book that shows theatre can be a thing of beauty.
Jessie Thompson, Evening Standard
One of the best things about a theatre is how it provides a readymade community - you just turn up, and there they all are. It's a wonderful salve for loneliness.
Amber Massie-Blomfield interviewed for Run-Riot
Hidden gems open up theatre to a wider range of audiences.
Amber Massie-Blomfield writing in The Stage
Theatres are places where we learn to be compassionate and to celebrate difference.
Amber Massie-Blomfield writing in UK Theatre
Amber Massie-Blomfield interviewed by Jo Good on BBC London Radio