I saw a crossword clue recently that asked for another word for condemn.  The solution was “critique”.

A bad review makes you feel like you have failure tattooed on your forehead, but everyone else forgets.

My worst ever review told the audience to keep their children away as it would put them off theatre for life! Ouch!! It created a very vigorous online debate that I watched with interest but never weighed in on as I was too crushed. But I would say there is a responsibility for reviewers to not go to forms they hate. If you love a perfectly constructed script, you might not be the best person to review a devised, image driven narrative.

It created a very vigorous online debate that I watched with interest but never weighed in on as I was too crushed.

On the other hand I have had a couple of reviews that were incredibly insightful and intelligent and I took that on to strengthen the work. 

In the end, it’s just an opinion. Gather just a few voices around who you absolutely trust and who will be honest and make critique a rigorous conversation and get your ego out of the way. The most freeing realisation I have had recently is it’s not about me, without that judgey voice there’s a lot more space to focus on the work. I’m then better able to enable others to work to their best.