Critics by default have a different opinion than the average audience. This is evident, says Marijn Lems, theatre journalist at NRC and Theaterkrant, from this investigation. Reason for us to take a closer look at that in the Culture Press Nerd podcast on the deeper details of the art journalist's profession. Another three-quarters of an hour for anecdotes and exciting revelations about the reviewer's private life.
A few quotes:
'I talk to quite a few people after a performance, but it's never really about the performance itself. I do often linger long after a performance, longer than many of my colleagues, because I know a lot of makers. They are naturally curious to know what I thought of it, but I don't want to bother the makers with my opinion right after the premiere. You also don't want to start rubbishing something when you find that someone had a really nice evening.'
'There was a film I wasn't that enthusiastic about, but then an author friend told me something about it on Facebook that gave me a key to see the film completely differently. that happens quite often. For me, letting a performance sink in is mainly in talking to other people about the work.'
'It does represent a flaw in our profession that there is little diversity among theatre critics. We are all highly educated and almost without exception white with middle-class backgrounds. I think that is a shortcoming. Professional critics should be a broader reflection of society. The group is too homogeneous.'
Another episode next week, including one on youth theatre. If you have any questions, let us know!
Part 1:
Marijn Lems: 'I write for people who don't shy away from the adventurous in art.'
English (UK) 
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