@dramatistsguild @GabCody

“What can the Dramatists Guild do for me?” I’ve heard this question a few times over the last year. Before I was acquainted with all that the Dramatists Guild provides to writers, I admit I asked the question myself. The answer is multitudinous, but for one playwright in Pittsburgh, a Dramatists Guild event led to a world premiere of his play.

In 2010, Jamie Slavinsky, artistic director of the Organic Theater of Pittsburgh, got together with the Guild and then-regional rep Tammy Ryan to organize “From the Ground Up”. At this innovative event, twelve DG playwrights read five minutes of their work for an audience of smaller and mid-sized Pittsburgh theater companies. The artistic directors of the companies then had five minutes to introduce their companies to the audience of playwrights. In the lobby afterward, playwright Philip Real met Vince Ventura, artistic director of 12 Peers Theater, who expressed interest in the play from which he had read: Cactus. Real gave Ventura a copy of the play that night. A few days later, Ventura sent an email saying he wanted to produce Cactus. Real was impressed by the ease of the exchange, “For someone like me who has sent in unsolicited scripts to theaters and heard nothing for months or longer, this was a delightfully immediate experience.”

Even after a few readings and rewrites, Real knew the play needed further refinement. At another Dramatists Guild event focusing on dramaturgy, Real got the idea of hiring a dramaturg to help guide the process toward production. He suggested this to 12 Peers and they offered the job to fellow Dramatists Guild member, playwright, director and dramaturg Kyle Bostian. As they worked together, it became apparent that the dramaturg would make an effective director for the world premiere. Bostian remembers: “Collaborating with Phil was an absolute pleasure. He’d never worked with an ‘official’ dramaturg before and was understandably a bit wary of how it might go. I think one of the reasons he approached me about the project and the main reason our process was as successful as it was is that he trusted that – as a playwright and DG member myself – I would be committed to realizing his vision. As we moved forward, he saw that my directorial vision was an extension – a supportive enhancement – of his own.”

The play, a re-imagining of Romeo and Juliet starring vampires and tackling issues surrounding border control, is essentially a family drama and love story with characters who happen to be vampires. Bostian adds, “The situations and relationships are very human, and the story explores socio-political issues and broader existential ideas that apply to all of us.”

As every playwright knows, there’s no substitute for a full production. Real avers: “I can’t imagine going through the huge effort this has been for me to keep writing and re-writing without the goal of a production. Vince provided the impetus by being encouraging along the way, telling me to take the time I needed while reassuring me this was all moving toward the goal of production. After having been in a room alone writing, to finally have actors on their feet reading the lines brought all sorts of new ideas about the story and characters for me to work on.”

The show runs from June 27th to July 13th at the Grey Box Theater in Pittsburgh’s hottest neighborhood, Lawrenceville. Real says he is a grateful playwright working with great designers, a supportive theater company and a director who brings a fierce passion and insight to the process: “The production is a beauty.”

gcody@dramatistsguild.com