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Portrait of Michael Paulson

Michael Paulson

I write news and feature stories about theater as an art form and as an industry, on Broadway and beyond. I am not a critic — many people find this confusing, but The Times maintains separate groups of reporters and critics, and I’m a reporter, which means I cover news, trends and personalities in the theater world, but do not review shows. I may have the most convenient location of any beat reporter at The Times: I am based at the company’s headquarters in Times Square, so my desk is in the heart of the theater district. And yes, I see a lot of theater — every new production on Broadway, and a sampling of plays, musicals and other theatrical events Off Broadway and elsewhere, or a little over 100 shows a year.

I’m a lifelong theatergoer, and I’ve been writing for newspapers since high school, but it’s only in my current job that I’ve combined those interests. I grew up in Massachusetts, went to college in Pennsylvania, and worked at newspapers in Massachusetts, Texas and Washington State before heeding the siren call of New York. I’ve worked as a reporter and as an editor, covering politics and religion, and was part of the Boston Globe team whose coverage of clergy sexual abuse won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2003.

All Times journalists are committed to upholding the standards of integrity outlined in our Ethical Journalism Handbook.

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