@dramatistsguild @TeresaCWash

New work is thriving in the DFW area – the Festival of Independent Theatres at the Bath House Cultural Center, Kitchen Dog Theater’s New Works Festival, Water Tower Theatre’s Out of The Loop Fringe Festival, TeCo’s 13th Annual New Play Competition and PlayPride LGBT Festival (shout out to the Dramatists Guild Fund for their continued support) are just a few possibilities for local playwrights to actually get their work produced. Opportunities for new play development however is not quite as robust, however, the help of a few overzealous Guild members might change all that in the next year or so.

This past spring, Paul Engle, our competent DFW DG Young Ambassador, organized a reading workshop at the Bishop Arts Theatre Center where five local playwrights were selected on a first-come-first-serve basis to participate via responses from our Facebook group page. The audience (yes, we actually had a room full of actors – mind you, we touted the event as one that would involve spirits) was made up of the creative community and folks who were genuinely interested in the art and science of new play development. It made for really constructive comments and thoughtful as well as thought provoking conversations to further develop the playwright’s work. The event was so successful we decided to make DG reading workshops a quarterly event.

An equally exciting project is a writing program, Playwrights At Work, that connects local playwrights with various within the Dallas Independent School District. Three or four times a month, two to three playwrights will be commissioned to take up residence in select junior high and high schools in the library, the cafeteria, hallways, maybe even an English or Theater class and simply write. Playwrights At Work is the brainchild of DFW Guild member Jonathan Norton and was inspired by a similar program that began three years ago and since then gained national attention in the window of Manhattan’s Drama Bookshop. The morning of a school tour production of Norton’s new play, The 67th Book Of The Bible at A. Maceo Smith High School, Jonathan spent some time writing in the school’s library. He surprisingly noticed how easily his writing flowed in that environment and said he believed three things contributed to this: First, unlike coffee-shops, bookstores and other places where writers work, school libraries are quiet zones. Second, as an adult, your natural inclination is to not slack-off in a school library because you automatically feel you should be setting a good example for the students. Finally, most schools have blockers that make it impossible to access Facebook and other sites on the internet that would normally be a distraction. You have no choice but to work. More importantly, Playwrights at Work embeds playwrights in academic communities in an organic and impactful way – it’s a win-win for the playwright and the student. The program is an extension of the Bishop Arts Theatre Center’s student outreach programs and the anticipated start date is January 2016. Funding is being provided in part by private foundations and public sector grants. Wouldn’t it be nice to have this project replicated in school districts across the country? Just saying.

Be on the lookout for our next reading workshop and other opportunities on our Facebook group page at DFW Dramatists Guild. There’s lots of sharing and you’ll find a community that’s genuinely interested in what’s going on in your corner of the world so don’t be shy. Let us hear from you.

twash@dramatistsguild.com

photo by Art & Seek