Last January, staff from the Guild’s NYC office came to San Francisco to continue their outreach to the regional membership. Hosted by Playwrights Foundation and Z Space Studios, Gary Garrison and company set up two days of programming. Their visit kicked off with a Thursday Town Hall Meeting where local playwrights met with Gary and Roland Tec, the Guild’s Director of Membership. This provided a productive dialogue between local members and the National office, and there was energy and enthusiasm to establish Bay Area development opportunities for San Francisco-based Guild playwrights.
A State of the Union panel discussion followed. Moderated by Gary, local theatre makers and shakers met with SF playwrights to offer a snapshot of the local scene.
The panel was comprised of Jasson Minadakis (Marin Theatre Company), Amy Mueller (Playwrights Foundation), Michael Paller (American Conservatory Theatre), Mark Routhier (National New Play Network), Lisa Steindler (Z Space), Marissa Wolf (Crowded Fire), Patricia Milton (Playwrights Center of San Francisco), Sharmon Hilfiger (Pear Ave Theater), and Annie Stuart (PlayGround). The panelists gave a realistic accounting of what’s going in SF. Yes, the economy is in the tank. The silver lining is that more companies are collaborating with each other, and this is strengthening theatre.
Friday afternoon, Gary led a funny and brutally honest workshop entitled Keeping the Drama in Your Work and Out of Your Life. He affirmed what a lot of us know, but might be afraid to admit. Each playwright has to define what “success” means. And we all should take stock of our individual strengths and weakness. No one else can.
David Faux, the Guild’s Director of Business Affairs, then gave a presentation called The Author as CEO, miraculously linking forklift rentals with the playwright’s need to understand the business aspects of being an artist. The NY Guild’s visit culminated with Peter Nachtrieb’s production of T.I.C. Trenchcoat in Common. At the Q & A after the show, Peter, Lisa Steindler, and the cast gave great insight into how this wildly hilarious play grew from the commissioning stage to a full production.
The Guild’s visit helped strengthen the feeling of community among local playwrights, as well as create solid bonds between SF writers and their Big Apple representatives. The NY Guild folks enjoyed their visit to SF as much as we enjoyed having them, and Gary assures us they’ll be coming back.
San Francisco
BY SCOTT MCMORROW
Last January, staff from the Guild’s NYC office came to San Francisco to continue their outreach to the regional membership. Hosted by Playwrights Foundation and Z Space Studios, Gary Garrison and company set up two days of programming. Their visit kicked off with a Thursday Town Hall Meeting where local playwrights met with Gary and Roland Tec, the Guild’s Director of Membership. This provided a productive dialogue between local members and the National office, and there was energy and enthusiasm to establish Bay Area development opportunities for San Francisco-based Guild playwrights.
A State of the Union panel discussion followed. Moderated by Gary, local theatre makers and shakers met with SF playwrights to offer a snapshot of the local scene.
The panel was comprised of Jasson Minadakis (Marin Theatre Company), Amy Mueller (Playwrights Foundation), Michael Paller (American Conservatory Theatre), Mark Routhier (National New Play Network), Lisa Steindler (Z Space), Marissa Wolf (Crowded Fire), Patricia Milton (Playwrights Center of San Francisco), Sharmon Hilfiger (Pear Ave Theater), and Annie Stuart (PlayGround). The panelists gave a realistic accounting of what’s going in SF. Yes, the economy is in the tank. The silver lining is that more companies are collaborating with each other, and this is strengthening theatre.
Friday afternoon, Gary led a funny and brutally honest workshop entitled Keeping the Drama in Your Work and Out of Your Life. He affirmed what a lot of us know, but might be afraid to admit. Each playwright has to define what “success” means. And we all should take stock of our individual strengths and weakness. No one else can.
David Faux, the Guild’s Director of Business Affairs, then gave a presentation called The Author as CEO, miraculously linking forklift rentals with the playwright’s need to understand the business aspects of being an artist. The NY Guild’s visit culminated with Peter Nachtrieb’s production of T.I.C. Trenchcoat in Common. At the Q & A after the show, Peter, Lisa Steindler, and the cast gave great insight into how this wildly hilarious play grew from the commissioning stage to a full production.
The Guild’s visit helped strengthen the feeling of community among local playwrights, as well as create solid bonds between SF writers and their Big Apple representatives. The NY Guild folks enjoyed their visit to SF as much as we enjoyed having them, and Gary assures us they’ll be coming back.
smcmorrow@dramatistsguild.com