Critical Writing Masterclass
Session one: Medium, Objects and Manner - The Rudiments of Criticism
Allan Sutherland and Joe Bidder
A group of disabled writers were invited by New Writing South and DAO (Disability Arts Online) to a series of seminars to develop skills in critical writing and gain an understanding of its role within the world of news media and publications. The masterclasses took place at the Women Artists' Slide Library in London.
Contributors to the Masterclass
Carole Woddis has been a theatre journalist and critic since the early 1980s, writing for The Guardian, Independent, New Statesman, The Stage and Evening Standard, amongst others. Prior to that she was a press officer for the RSC, National Theatres, The Round House and Royal Ballet and administrator with various other arts organisations. She was a founder member of City Limits and was Health Editor for Women's Realm. For the past twelve years she has been the London theatre critic and feature writer for the Glasgow Herald. She currently contributes to the London theatre websites, whatsonstage.com and Rogues and Vagabonds. For the past ten years she has been a Visiting Tutor in Journalism at Goldsmiths College, University of London and guest tutor at other universities. She has also given workshops in theatre criticism to colleges, schools and on the National Theatre's new writing and young people's Connections programme. Publications include The Bloomsbury Theatre Guide with Trevor T Griffiths, a collection of interviews with actresses, Sheer Bloody Magic (Virago), and Faber & Faber's Pocket Guide to 20th Century Drama with Stephen Unwin. She has also contributed various articles to academic magazines and books, particularly on the subject of women and theatre.
Allan Sutherland has been one of the most passionate voices on the UK disability scene for twenty years, as writer, journalist, stand-up comic and performance poet. He was once described as the first political stand-up on the disability arts circuit. His book Disabled We Stand (1981) won awards in the UK and the US and is still required reading on some university courses. His Radio 4 play Inmates, set in a long-stay institution for disabled people, won a Raspberry Ripple award. He is also the leading historian of the UK Disability Arts movement, about which he has written widely. As Director of Disability Arts think-tank the Edward Lear Foundation, he advises the National Disability Arts Collection and Archive and is leading the project to create an oral history of disability arts.
Mark Shenton is theatre critic for the Sunday Express, contributing editor to theatre.com, and writes a daily blog for the The Stage's website. He also contributes to BBC London as theatre critic for its website, and broadcasts for its radio and TV divisions. He has hosted regular platform performances at the National Theatre and is co-author of Harden's Theatregoers' Handbook.
New Writing South's focus is to develop an environment in the south-east in which creative writers and new writing can flourish. We do this by identifying and nurturing talent, by working creatively with writers and by building partnerships to encourage a new writing economy in the region. New Writing South has three hundred and fifty writer members, from Oxford to Canterbury, and is supported in its aims by Arts Council South East and the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.
Jamie Beddard, representing Arts Council London, opened the discussion by saying that he felt there had been a need for this kind of master class for at least ten years. He went on to say that, “as an actor with a long track record of performance in shows for Graeae Theatre Company, I never received a bad review. I won't feel I have made it as an actor until I've had a bad review. I know the only reason it hasn't happened is because I'm a disabled person.”
In the introduction the group gave some of their key reasons for being at the seminar. There were a range of responses: a desire to learn how to be critical without being damning; how to develop a style; how to get through the glass ceiling that surrounds disability arts; how to break into publishing reviews outside of the disability world; a better appreciation of what makes good writing; what is required of a critic; what, if anything makes being a critic different for a disabled person; and finally simply to receive feedback.
DAO (Disability Arts Online) hopes that the following transcript will serve as a useful resource for disabled writers with an interest in writing critique both within and beyond the field of Disability Arts. It provides some of the basic rules as well as ideas about what disabled writers, specifically, have to offer the mainstream news media. It also provides tips on how to get published based on experience of writing for the press over the course of many years.
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Simone Meiszner (hoyabella_uk[at]hotmail.com) said on 2007-12-10 19:01:
I think this was excellent but are the Critical Classes held for any of those that have a learning disability and like to write. I tried to get my daughter into a normal Critical writing class because she is always writing little stories but because her grammar isn't up to standard they basically put me off sending her. I have sent a letter to my local MP stating that they should have supported learning for this type of course because adults with learning disabilities also like to be creative but because of their level they are not always welcomed.If someone has disability it doesn't always affect the mind so how do you help someone with a learning difficulty improve their writing skills.
last updated: 2007-11-02 18:45:20
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