Reviewer vs Director

Reviewing amateur shows for The Stage at Edinburgh can be painful. Having directed myself, it is often heartbreaking leaving a performance knowing that you will be giving it a terrible review when all you want to do is give directorial feedback. Of course in some instances this means picking them up, giving them a good old shake and yelling at them to change their ways or stop charging money, but at other times there are just the few elements that show potential and need that extra guidance. Hopefully, they will read my review and therefore find out what exactly I thought went wrong, but not in enough detail. I am by no means suggesting that I am any better than these companies, or that I am necessarily right with my initial opinions but it would be nice to go outside of the 250 word limit and speak to these people in a language that needn't be witty or entertaining, but instead direct and straight to the point. I do believe that a reviewer should not write a word that they couldn't say in a face-to-face meeting, it is simply a shame that there are not more of these meetings had. I welcome any one of the companies suffering the effects of my written word to get in contact for further feedback as they certainly deserve to hear it unedited. What concerns me is that some will not listen; to me, or anyone else who criticises their work. I feel like Simon Cowell telling a young X-Factor contestant warbling through a Mariah Carey hit that they can't sing; it is harsh, but ultimately true.