@dramatistsguild @AoiseStratford

Last night (October 23, 2016) marked the second reading in the 20 a cross-the-state collaboration that was founded on the desire to bring playwrights and their work into new communities in their region. This is the third year we have held the series, which invites submissions of previously produced full-length plays from area members and then seeks to have those plays considered buy theatres within driving distance that are beyond the writer’s own back yard and usual base. The goals of the series are to foster a wider sense of community, provide opportunities for forming new collaborations and relationships, and give valuable second exposure to new plays. The first reading for this year’s series saw Ithaca-based member Judith Pratt head to Road Less Traveled Productions in Buffalo last month for a reading of her play Chimera. Last night DG member Ntare Ali Gault and Ericka Gault came from Buffalo to the Kitchen Theatre Company in Ithaca to hear their play Ain’t She Brave. The event was a great success, Guild members and other writers had ample opportunities to connect both before and after the reading, and the reading itself was well done, well attended and well received.

The Ithaca-based Hangar Theatre has appointed a new artistic director, Michael Barakiva, who has been pursuing opportunities to connect with local playwrights and thinking through how The Hangar might forge a stronger community with them. Earlier this month, Mr. Barakiva graciously gave me the opportunity to meet with the theatre’s board and discuss ideas for collaboration and support. One of the things to come out of this very collegial meeting was a discount ticket deal for Guild members to attend shows on their summer main stage, and other ideas are still being discussed.

A similar deal is now also in place with The Kitchen Theatre Company, who will also be producing Guild member Wendy Dann’s Birds of East Africa in the Spring, so if you’re in the area, let’s go see some theatre. I’m hoping to negotiate similar deals with other CNY theatres, so stay tuned for updates, and if you know a theatre you’d particularly like me to approach, get in touch.

Also in Ithaca, The Cherry Arts is continuing its agenda of fostering innovative new work by local writers with workshops and collaborative projects supporting new work by Guild members Saviana Stanescu and myself. The active engagement of these excellent local companies with the region’s writers is great for writers in the Finger Lakes area and beyond.

In Albany, Capital Rep’s annual new play series, “Next Act,” is showcasing new work by several Guild members this year. Offerings include Steve Peterson’s Paris Time, Michael Erickson’s Honor Student, and Joe Breen’s The Hands That Hold Us. These members hail from different parts of the country, and it’s great to see Capital Rep bringing the work of guild members to Central New York as part of a three-day celebration of new play development.

If you are a Guild member in or around Syracuse, stay tuned for announcements about a Rep on The Road Event offering an opportunity to meet and network with other members, have a drink, see a play, and check in with your rep about all things Dramatists Guild. Meanwhile, stay warm, and happy writing.

astratford@dramatistsguild.com

From the reading of Ain't She Brave by Ntare Ali Gault and Ericka Gault