Women, Beware The Devil by Lulu Raczka - Almeida

Why do people insist in using the word amateur in such a negative way when it comes to theatre? In every other art form or sport I can think of, amateur participation is a positive, where people are admired for their talent and commitment even when they are not earning big bucks from their passion. There are plenty of terrific amateur theatre companies across the UK where high quality, imaginative and creative work is produced by talented and highly creative people while holding down full time jobs. Always on a fraction of the budget of professional shows and accessible at a fraction of the cost too. I've worked in the amateur sector for over thirty years, and have always aimed to produce work of the highest standard. I'm sure there are plenty of others on this board who do that too. It would be good to know that this negative term in theatre criticism wasn't bandied about quite so freely here. Fair criticism is great and interesting, but we're to hear to celebrate theatre in all its forms surely? Thanks.