@dramatistsguild @kimstinson

2015 started off well for the North Carolina members of The Dramatists Guild: Actors Theatre of Charlotte partnered with us to hold a regional meeting during their NuVoices Festival in January. Although not North Carolinians, we celebrated with two Guild writers, Rich Orloff and Rich Rubin, who were among the festival playwrights whose work received staged readings. Orloff, who is from New York, was chosen as a finalist for his play, Caesar’s Blood. Rubin, who is from Portland, OR, was chosen as a finalist for his play, Chatting with the Tea Party.

Martin Wilkins and Martin Kettling of Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte were gracious hosts for our event. And, on a side note, congratulations are due to Martin Wilkins on his being named one of the five National Directing Fellows by the O’Neill, NNPN, Kennedy Center and SDC.

Representing the national office for this regional meeting in January, Gary Garrison, Executive Director of Creative Affairs, and Zack Turner, Director of Marketing and Online Media, flew down from New York to meet with North Carolina members. Turner discussed how playwrights can use Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms to do career development networking. Garrison led a question and answer session with the members in attendance, as well as giving an update on the Dramatists Guild’s current news and future plans. After the meeting, several members stayed to watch some of the staged readings that were a part of the NuVoices Festival.

Continuing the good year, one of our North Carolina members received the Mark Gilbert Award along with a production. The North Carolina New Play Project’s 22nd Annual production presented April 9-19, 2015, was the first New Play Project since the passing of well-respected Artistic Director Stephen Hyers who succumbed to cancer back in the fall. Hyers was a proponent of doing new works and he is missed dearly. Dramatists Guild member Marilynn Anselmi’s play, The Osanbi Deal, was this year’s winner and was presented in Greensboro in the recently renamed Stephen D. Hyers Theatre, formerly known as the City Arts Drama Center Studio Theatre.

Looking to the rest of 2015, I am working on scheduling our next meeting. Details will be forthcoming via email; so, make sure that Rebecca Stump (rstump@dramatistsguild.com) has your up-to-date information, if it has changed since you became a member. Also upcoming is the Dramatists Guild’s National Conference to be held July 16-19 in La Jolla, CA. During the conference, there will be gatherings of members by regions. North Carolina members will be given the opportunity to meet with one another in addition to members of other southeastern states. If you plan to be in attendance at the conference, please, let me know by email.

And, look for the regional receptions on the schedule when you are at the conference. While attending the conference, if you have questions, I will be checking my email. I am also likely to be tweeting with the conference hashtag: #WriteChange.

kstinson@dramatistsguild.com