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Alison, I'm playing 'catch-up', just read your smashing essay on Barry's *Ecstasy* in your Theatre Notes: http://theatrenotes.com/2008/08/on-ecstasy.html Really do feel that theatre's your 'thang', Ms A. As if, apparently, remembering that, I put in a last bit for you - and others - in this yesterday's comment to Groan [Guardian] online article on critics vs theatre bloggers: Dec 06 08, 5:23am Yes, indeed, definitely. May I present some further logic and then a proposal: 1) Bloggers're great, fine, and likely to be as astute, professional, thorough, backgrounded, and entertaining as paid critics----and as quixotic, odd-focused, ill-tempered, and 'out to lunch', as paid critics, as well. Blogs, yes, excellent, on the reasonable principle that more is better. But blogs do not have the grabability of a major newspaper. This and other newspapers [online or in print] draw readers in far greater numbers than individual blogs can. 2) Most theatre critics have not been Educated Properly for their role---which I find all the better for what they must do: see a lot of plays, do a lot of research, grow along with the growing theatre community, develop the long view that inevitably opens an impassioned observer to worthy, fresh work. They don't necessarily need a uni degree in any aspect of the theatre; they do need play-immersion out of sheer adoration for it, and they need A Life other than theatre. That said, even dedicated bloggers are few who would attend 12 plays a month for years, and for each play submit a review that's responsible, detailed, and helpful to theatre practitioners as well as theatre-goers. We have, then, the continuing need for newspaper-paid theatre critics. In fact, I propose the need for MORE newspaper-paid theatre critics. 3) We need more because we need to have more information. We need to hear the unheard gossip, be moved to visit less-familiar-to-us play venues, find out more of the techniques of playwrighting, acting, directing, scene-, costume-, lighting-, sound- and movement-design. We need to hear it from the folk who actually work in those areas. Hence, 4) I propose Guest Critics in addition to main critics. A different Guest Critic each month could be 'found' and tapped by the newspaper, or they could volunteer themselves by submitting several reviews to recommend them for the monthly spot. They could, as well, be from other countries reporting on plays they've seen in their native lands. Surely this newspaper in this nation can manage enthusiastic inclusion in its theatre criticism as well as in its theatres.