Lyn Gardner on critics writing plays

The Guardian: 'Critics," said the Irish writer Brendan Behan, "are like eunuchs in a harem. They know how it's done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." Perhaps it was Behan's voice that was whispering in my ear when I recently turned down an invitation to write a short play. It's not the first that's come my way, and of course I was flattered – who wouldn't be? – but I tend to think that, while 30 years of sitting in the dark watching other people's plays has taught me a great deal, one of the things it hasn't taught me is how to write a good play.