Asian societies tend to dismiss criticism as an unnecessary contribution to social and political development. Much has not been made of it as the region achieves higher standard of living. How should one approach criticism - by whom and for whom? What is its place in the theatre, the arts and society today? The following is an email correspondence on the topic between Dr. Paul Rae (from England; based in Singapore) and Prof. Chetana Nagavajara (Thailand; scholar of Comparative Literature), prior to their participation in the colloquium, 'Critically Speaking: Asia & Europe Contemporary Performing Arts Colloquium' (Singapore). Artists and academics from Asia and Europe were brought together to share experiences and opinions on creativity, analysis, aesthetics, economics, etc.. Paul Rae and Chetana Nagavajara corresponded with each other in preparation of holding the discussion session, 'Critics on Criticism'.
