@SuzanEraslan yeah, i know... I'm on a peer awards panel, but a lot of our decision-making doesn't get communicated back (except in the annual awards ceremony). I feel like there ought to be some transparent way of saying *why* something doesn't come up to the standard without being the bloke fronting up to the director/cast/creatives and scolding them at drinks...

@prismatic7 Yeah, wow. I'm always wary of giving criticism except to my dearest, most resilient friends. Most people, I just smile falsely and say, "Congratulations!" instead of praising them show.

@SuzanEraslan I think the "you were wonderful, darling" culture of theatre is a real barrier to constructive criticism. In a small, pretty tight-knit scene like here in Melbourne it seems very easy to define in- and out-crowds based on "they didn't say nice things about it". The job of peer review isn't boosterism. That's not to say it's about tearing down (subjectively) bad art. I think maybe visual art has better peer-critique models...

@prismatic7 Except, at least here, visual art critique is almost a sport-- people go out of their way to rip each other apart in classes, so the result is no one takes any crit seriously because it's just seeing who can justify being the most scathing.

@SuzanEraslan hm. Perhaps I need to give this more thought.

@prismatic7 I think that providing an easy way to allow industry people to give anonymous criticism is the first step. People are so afraid to be honest for fear of being blackballed that it is all dishonest congratulations that result in artists continuing in the same vein that wins them praise.