Cost of informed critic’s opinion

Most of us who call ourselves theater critics don’t make a living writing such criticism [“Jeers, Cheers Over Paid Reviews,” June 21]. For me at least, the payoff is not in having my livelihood dependent on my writing — being a college teacher provides for that.

Rather, I enjoy the experience of theater. Writing about it deepens that expe- rience. Moreover, such word-working serves to mirror my thoughts — thoughts I want to reflect onto others who are passionate about this venerable art form. Nevertheless, we pay for the opinion of accountants, contractors, doctors and lawyers, so what’s so wrong about paying for an informed opinion when it comes to a theatrical production?

Ben Miles Huntington Beach Miles is a theater critic for the Beachcomber Newspaper in Long Beach and online at showmag.com