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The late Donald Bianchi, co-founder of Dobama Theatre in Cleveland Heights once said: “The playwright is the super intellect of the theatre. Without the playwright, we would all be bowling.” The statement makes more sense if you know that his troupe performed for more than four decades in a remodeled bowling alley. But it underscores the primacy of the playwright in this beloved company, which now celebrates 55 years of celebrating playwrights.

Dobama was founded by Bianchi, his wife Marilyn – both drama graduates – and Barry Silverman and Mark Silverberg, who contributed business acumen. (The company name borrows the first two letters of their names.) Their breakaway adventure began in a hall adjacent to a Cleveland bar, where performers competed with barflies and pool hustlers. A caller inquiring about the curtain time in this informal setting might have heard, “When can you get here?”

Dobama relocated in 1964 to the aforementioned bowling alley, a serviceable basement space when it wasn’t under water. Here, the sound track included flushing toilets and scraping chairs from the ground-floor restaurants that came and went over the years.

But a great company emerged, made up of folks whose second job often ran until four in the morning. The work they produced was challenging and important and often quite wonderful. Under the leadership of only five artistic directors (Don Bianchi, Ron Newell, Joyce Casey, Joel Hammer and Nathan Motta), a crazy dream became a cultural gem.

Here’s where the playwrights enter, because Dobama’s mission was all about the written word: “to premiere the best contemporary plays by established and emerging playwrights, in professional productions of the highest quality.” Their play roster (visit www.dobama.org) is more than an impressive list of world, national or Cleveland premieres. As Nathan Motta points out, “It’s a history of modern theatre.”

Motta, who took the reins in 2013, seized the opportunity to lead the company’s continued growth. “I see our mission as bringing exciting, relevant, important and well-crafted new plays that are affecting American Theatre, in the time they are being created,” he says. He looks for scripts that have had success in major markets. Better still are plays that have won praise from Obie and Pulitzer judges. Among Motta’s early choices: Becky Shaw, Superior Donuts, Time Stands Still, Cock, Kin, The Big Meal and A Civil War Christmas.

The selection process almost never begins with playwright submissions, he notes. If he were to consider the number of scripts that normally flow into new works festivals, his budget would need to grow by 40%. Full-time staff consists of three people. He has one part-time administrative assistant and a small crew of resident technical designers and box office staff to cover the six-play season and additional programing.

Even with limited resources, Dobama has a long history of supporting local writers. Under Joyce Casey’s tenure, Dobama offered an annual play-reading festival, where a homegrown show might then move to the mainstage. Joel Hammer gave a boost to local playwrights in 2009 by launching the Playwrights’ Gym, inviting six writers to present works-in-progress and produce group showcases. Three full-length works received workshop productions.

Motta has expanded the Gym to ten playwrights, four of whom are Guild members: Les Hunter, Deborah Magid, Larry Nehring and myself. The others are: Cornell Calhoun, III, Stuart Hoffman, Christopher Johnston, Anne McEvoy, Juliette Regnier and Greg Vovos. Dobama provides rehearsal and performance space, plus the resources to stage readings and workshops.

Recently, Motta tapped Gym members for “My Story” – a project that engages underserved people in the community. Writers are interviewing individuals to create theatre pieces on their experiences with domestic violence, chemical addiction, bullying and other challenges. The stories will become dramas, some potentially featuring the interviewees themselves. Dobama hopes to partner with related organizations when these stories are shared publicly.

Other significant writers served by Dobama are area children who have participated in the Marilyn Bianchi Kids’ Playwriting Festival. Since 1977, thousands of schoolchildren have submitted original scripts, hundreds of which have been fully staged. Kids watch their shows in absolute wonderment. Many actors consider the Kids’ Festival an annual highlight.

Motta’s most recent gift is one designed to benefit everyone. Dobama is now Cleveland’s third full-time Equity Theatre. Since the early 1990s, after Cleveland Play House disbanded its fabled Resident Company, professional actors found limited work opportunities here. Dobama began hiring AEA actors two decades ago, but it is now committed to expanding its professional profile. Its recent Civil War Christmas featured four AEA actors and six Equity Member Candidates.

Dobama has traveled miles (actually less than two) since the bowling alley era. In keeping with its colorful architectural history, Dobama now occupies what was the natatorium of a former YMCA. The reimagined space is a beautiful, 162-seat black box/thrust theater on the campus of the Cleveland Heights Public Library. After five-and-a half years at this address, both the company and the audience have found a home.

So have a lot of playwrights, and rightly so. Without playwrights, after all, they would all be swimming.

fsholiton@dramatistsguild.com