Lyn Gardner: Twitter is the critic's friend

Is it possible to write a meaningful review in 140 characters? No, and I wouldn't try. But I've come to see Twitter as much a part of a critic's armour as a pen and notepad. When you've seen a show you love, why wait for a review to appear in print when you can tell the world about it immediately? Companies and audiences all benefit, particularly during short runs.

I've long been part of an army of bloggers, professional and non-professional, writing about theatre on the web. It's made me realise that I can have an ongoing dialogue with makers, audiences and readers that can be stimulating and fruitful for all.

It's the same with Twitter. I first used it in Edinburgh in 2008 but without understanding that tweeting is about reciprocity, not just getting your own voice heard. By this year's festival it had become an invaluable tool to let others know what I was seeing and rating, but also to find out what other people were loving. Edinburgh Fringe hits are made by word of mouth, and for the last 25 years, the most reliable method of finding out what's hot or not has been to ask the people next to you in the queue. It's still a good ploy, but the critic in search of a good show will now be plugging into social media to stay ahead of the game.

Twitter also allows artists and critics to share information and engage in joined up thinking about the challenges facing theatre. On Tuesday, one of my tweets pointing to potentially massive cuts facing higher education arts institutions was retweeted around the world and ended up on Twitter's homepage, immediately alerting people to the difficulties faced by the arts community in the current climate.

Along with other critics I continued to tweet after Edinburgh. With only 140 characters at your disposal, it's too blunt to be a substitute for a review and I wouldn't dream of starring my tweets as one colleague does. I'm wary of tweeting too negatively about shows because there's no room to justify your response. But it's terrific for instant, straight-from-the-heart responses, and it can't be long before tweets start being quoted on posters alongside more traditional reviews.

Follow Lyn Garner on Twitter @lyngardner

Next week: Peter Bradshaw