I find actors to be very scary. I mean, they're mostly very nice people, it's just that they're so good at something really hard, something that's related to what I do/can do but different enough that I don't understand it very well, and that's super intimidating.
For dancers, it's the same thing. And artists—that is, artists of the making-shapes-with-pigment-on-paper-or-pixels variety— as well.
Musicians, not as much. Unless they play a string instrument, in which case it's ten times worse at least. Because then it's all mixed up with envy towards them and anger at myself for not being better than I am after ten years. (Not as much with female musicians as male musicians, it seems. Hmm.)
Writers, not at all. If they're really good, then I respect them; if I love their writing, then I try to figure out what I like so much about it. Even if I've got a ways to go writing-wise, I have the generalities figured out to the point where someone who writes better than me is exactly that; I may end up crying when I'm writing something wrong and I don't know how to fix it, but good writers just make me ask good questions. The admiration may be there, but the intimidation is completely gone.
Directing is close enough to writing, I think, that directors don't scare me either. Nor do cooks, bakers, knitters, fashionistas, etc. Or, say, mountain climbers. I guess if it's something I know quite well, or something I don't know at all, then I'm not nearly as freaked out as I am by something familiar that I'm not good at.
I really did like Winter's Tale, though! Not so much because it's a great play as because the Illinois Shakespeare Festival always has great acting, directing, etc. They're super good. My favorite actor from last year is gone, though. :(
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