Brushing with Ravenhill

Want to learn how to write a play? Don't ask me - my workshops are rubbish
Mark Ravenhill
Monday July 31, 2006
The Guardian

In April 2004, I did a playwriting course. I'm sure it would have been documented here had I not spent my leisure time in those days writing monologues rather than blog entries. Well, I did write such things until I went off to Shropshire to attend the Arvon course with Mr Mark Ravenhill. And it went downhill from there. But it's OK now. Mark has finally, even exaggeratedly, acknowledged that he can't run workshops, only two years after I acknowledged that I probably can't write plays. And maybe I should be grateful: the atmosphere on that course speeded up the realisation...

I'm told there were an abundance of letters about the article, none of which I saw - a bit of a shame. However, I did send a note to the Arvon address I'd corresponded with when I'd first registered my dismay at Ravenhill's complete lack of interest in instructing us (it was supposed to be a general, rather than advanced, course and therefore educational). And I got a nice note back from Dan at The Hurst:

Yes, I see what you mean. Funnily enough it was the first course I was here for, and I hadn't really learned to gage the effectiveness of tutors and courses. I hope that you did get something out of it - I think at least some of the article is a bit over done (for effect perhaps - but I couldn't possibly comment Yer Honour). All I can say is that Arvon have been running "workshops" for over thirty years and the vast majority of writers (certainly in my experience over the last two and a half) have found our formula works a treat - amongst them another Mark - Mark Haddon. I reckon we must be doing something right.

Of course I did (the scenery was lovely); of course they have (not least evidenced by the workshop that I'd been on previously to this one, with the wonderful Moy McCrory). I've no beef with Arvon, but I agree with Ravenhill that he should stick to writing.