Many theaters say they're interested in producing new plays and in supporting American playwrights. Primary Stages is one of the few that really does. It is a marvelous place to work, with a staff made up entirely of sane, intelligent artists who really care. I love it.
As a member of the Dorothy Strelsin New American Writer's Group at Primary Stages, and as a sometime faculty in their Einhorn School of Performing Arts, I've grown as a writer. In the group, I've developed several plays. I think it's a testament to the quality of the development program that each of those works has achieved recognition including publishing, production and finalist nods in several national competitions. I'll be finishing my term with the group this spring, and will be very sad to see it end. One drawback to their support has been that I got so comfortable, I neglected to reach out and network beyond their doors as I should have done. But that's on me. I see the folks regularly there and know how hard they work as a producing organization, a support for up and coming writers, and a school with inspired, energetic faculty. No matter how much funding Primary Stages might receive from whatever sources, I know it'll be stretched to the limit for the good of theatre, and for the future of theatre.
Robert Anderson said, "Nobody made you be a playwright." But he knew that Primary Stages made it possible for so many of us to be working playwrights. This is no small feat. Life in the theatre is precarious enough and producing New American plays is almost downright foolhardy. But in a sense all of us in theatre - playwrights, directors, actors, producers, audiences - are God's fools, and the world is a better place for it. I owe my career as a playwright to Primary Stages and I will do everything in my power to help sustain its mission and ensure that other writers will have the opportunity I've had. This is the key to PSC's unique shared community of theatre artists and audiences.
Playwriting is a solitary profession. It's done alone -- you and the blank page (screen). However, it's good to know that someone out there is waiting to hear your work. That at the end of the day, your work has a home. Primary Stages has served as a home for me these last six years. They bend over backwards to make sure that once your play is finished it doesn't get lost in the noise.