Summary
Gail Cooper, based in Ruthin, has been a critic for 40 years "I have not had any direct experience of people in the theatre responding to a bad review or trying to get me banned. I have always felt it is my job to put myself in the place of an interested, open- minded but questioning member of the audience. Mature directors and performers understand the role of a reviewer is to articulate a considered response. Live theatre is an exciting medium that creates a powerful sense of a shared community of emotions, but it can also direct an unnerving spotlight on the bogus or the slipshod. The reviewer has a responsibility to be constructive in any criticism, but is also responsible to future audiences who will pay hard- earned money to see the performance. We must be free to say what we think honestly, and be able to justify it. Those involved are professionals and so am I. My personal prejudices have to be scrutinised and acknowledged before I write my piece. In the past, I have written hard words about poor shows and not felt guilty. The exception is performances by amateurs and children. Being beastly about the am-dram can lead to fall-outs with your plumber or postmistress. And criticising children's shows is just crass."
Philip Fisher, based in London, is a regular West End criticSee the full content of this document
Extract
And the Critics Have Their Say ...
"Feedback can be scary, but not too often. The worst attacks come from bad playwrights (or more often their anonymous friends) who don't believe that a critic has understood their message or purpose. Generally, this is because they did not ...
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