“We struggle for so long to be validated, waiting for that producer to put up our play for us.  But the truth is… people in this business are not always right!” 

La’Chris Jordan has maintained this perspective and sense of humor throughout her career.  Not just a talented playwright (named one of the “50 Playwrights to Watch” in this magazine), she’s also a keen businesswoman.  Recently, she self-produced her award-winning play, Piney Ridge, at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center.  Audiences of a wide diversity and age seemed to be thoroughly absorbed in this powerful drama about racial tensions in early twentieth century Virginia.  A talkback followed every performance, creating thoughtful conversations. 

“At one of the talkbacks there was this ninety-three year old woman who said she was there and this is what happened—we don’t like to talk about it but its true”.   These moments remind La’Chris that playwriting is a selfless act.  She feels a responsibility to write about painful and uncomfortable subjects, even if she finds it emotionally difficult.  The value of playwriting is to see what audiences take from the play, if they’re changed by the experience.  “That’s real.”

La’Chris started self-producing because of asking the question, “How do I get my work out there?  Instead of waiting years for some producer, I thought, ‘why not take a chance?’” The rewards were not merely self-promotion.  Rehearsals taught her about the play, her writing process, and the performances filled her with satisfaction of accomplishment.

If you want to self-produce, heed her advice.  First, surround yourself with people you trust who believe in your work.  She had a collaborator in her director, Isiah Anderson, Jr.  Also, she says, “Understand the business aspects of producing, including marketing and…I mean, know how many seats you need to sell to break even, little things like that…and finally, just do it.  How else are you going to know the impact of your work if you don’t take a chance on yourself?”

Wearing both hats of producer and writer isn’t easy.  But even in her darkest moments of rehearsals of Piney Ridge, when she thought about the money invested and was flooded with uncertainty about filling the house, she survived by remembering the audience.  “I see it is a training ground for something bigger.  When you see someone walk up to the box office and they ask for a ticket, you realize it’s real.  They could be doing anything else.  People have a choice.  That’s humbling.”

dschebetta@dramatistsguild.com

If we don’t support each other, who will?

Recently, I asked a handful of playwrights in this region about this idea of “community.” Some of the responses were illuminating and others were downright depressing. Someone bluntly said, “I don’t feel there’s a strong community of playwrights at all, despite there being quite a lot of strong playwrights. We’re little islands, floating in the Seattle arts scene.” Other responses were inspiring because of the “well, this is what I do” attitude. The overall feelings conveyed were of frustration due to the lack of a unified playwriting community. Many elements seem to be in place to create one, but it just hasn’t happened. Others enjoy their isolation and feel no desire to be part of a community. Everyone has a different definition of community, some encompassing only their local area and others finding more success in areas like LA, New York or even the U.K. One noted playwright stated, “It’s typical…I’ve worked hard to expand my community beyond Seattle, which frankly, I find annoyingly provincial.”
It’s easy to say the reason there’s no strong community of playwrights in this region is because the theatre community doesn’t fully support new works. It’s easy to issue lamentations about the past, crying out for what no longer exists. Sure, there’s no Playwrights Center here and Washington state ranks horribly low in funding for the arts. But every region struggles for funding for new play development.
The reason we don’t have a strong community of playwrights here is because we, as playwrights, haven’t created one. I’ve heard variations of this statement: “Most playwrights are interested in seeing their new play, not mine…So how can there be an actual real supportive community if that is what it’s all about?” If we want directors and theatre companies to understand that a vibrant theatre community means working with new playwrights, then each of us should show that belief by demonstrating our support for each other. A professor of mine always said, “If we don’t support each other, who will?” We should carve out time to read each other’s plays. We should make an effort to meet other playwrights, even if it’s just going for coffee and asking, “How’s your second act?”  It’s not easy, but if we wanted easy we wouldn’t be writing for the theatre in the first place.

dschebetta@dramatistsguild.com