DG National Report: Western New York by Donna Hoke
Perhaps it’s the all the glowing national press Buffalo’s been getting, but playwrights seem to be visiting here with astonishing regularity! This past spring, we hosted Terrence McNally; Tom Dudzick—in town to direct his fourth play at Kavinoky—was chair of Curtain Up! September 16; the next day, Jeffrey Sweet led an Improvising Your Play workshop in Rochester; and October 27, Amy Herzog met with playwrights prior to the opening of 4000 Miles, the first of three Herzog plays comprising Jewish Repertory Theater’s (JRT) 2016-167 season.
“There are many female playwrights, including Annie Baker and Wendy Wasserstein, whose plays we have already done,” says JRT Artistic Director Saul Elkin. “After I read 4000 Miles, I was so touched, I went on to read After the Revolution and The Great God Pan, both of which made a powerful impression on me. When I realized that none of Amy Herzog’s plays had been done in Buffalo, it seemed clear that we should do all three.”
Herzog says an entire season of her plays is a first, and “When I learned that JRT would be doing a season of my work, I was completely delighted. I’m especially excited that JRT will stage The Great God Pan, a less frequently produced play that I like as much as the other two. It’s about a completely different family, but all three plays touch on memory, identity, and what’s passed down in generations of a family.”
And as if this hasn’t been enough, Rajiv Joseph will visit Buffalo not once, but twice, in the coming season, the first time in November, the second in May. As the recipient of Road Less Traveled Productions’ first national residency, he’ll be here workshopping his new, Goodman-commissioned play, Santa Maria, about a group of men aboard Columbus’ largest ship.
The theater department at Buffalo State College will be involved with the workshops that culminate with two staged readings at the Donald Savage Theater on campus, and Joseph will also participate in community events during this longer, spring visit. “We’re going to try to provide resources throughout the process, and that may include conversations with other ensemble members, such as designers,” says RLTP Artistic Director Scott Behrend. “We plan to dip into the ensemble actor pool for actors; we will definitely use all local actors.”
“There’ something immersive about coming to Buffalo and being put up and working out of my comfort zone,” Joseph says. “I’m excited by the prospect of trying something new. It’s all about hearing early drafts read aloud; that’s how I determine what’s working or not.”
Finally, also in May, Road Less Traveled will host Donald Margulies when he attends its production of The Country House, the second Margulies play of the season; the first, Dinner With Friends, was RLTP’s Curtain Up! offering. RLTP plans to have a public Q&A moderated by RLTP Literary Director Jon Elston on May 6, and Margulies will be in attendance at a special viewing of The Country House that evening.
Watch your regional e-blasts for more details on upcoming events involving these playwrights. Their visits are further testament to Western New York’s status as an arts destination.
