An important part of writing about theatre (or writing about anything, for that matter) is to know your audience. You don't want to weigh down a review with theoretical pondering and conversely, you don't want to submit a Ph.D thesis that reads like review. Take a look at a review of a production of Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida (http://www.curtainup.com/troiluscressida.html). Compare that with a chapter from a scholarly work examining a postmodern reading of Troilus and Cressida (http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=59004619). Can you understand why knowing your audience is so important?

Have you ever written a review or a critique? It can be both exciting and scary to state your opinion publicly; on one hand everyone will finally know what you think. On the other hand, everyone will finally know what you think. Try it with the safety net of anonymity; go to the Internet Movie Database (http://imdb.com/) and search for a movie you've recently seen. Then click "submit a comment" and submit your thoughts on the film. Are you a reviewer or a critic?