For over 100 years, the Dramatists Guild’s goal has been to continually aid playwrights, composers, lyricists, and librettists in protecting their work’s artistic and economic integrity. As a stalwart advocate of better business practices that celebrate the dramatist and, in turn, do not exploit the dramatist, the Guild believes in a theatre rooted in fairness, so that the writer can build a life and a career. But our advocacy goes far beyond contracts and best practices.
The Guild is proud to announce the relaunching of the Playwrights Welcome program this fall. Playwrights Welcome offers available tickets to professional dramatists, free of charge, on the day of a live theatrical performance.
Developed for members of the Dramatists Guild, Playwrights Welcome is a national ticketing initiative created and administered by Concord Theatricals. We’re excited to share that over 70 theatres across the country will make space for dramatists to see live theatre. This opportunity to see live theatre is an integral part of how writers further develop their craft and continue to grow as artists. We hope that all theatres nationwide will open their doors and join the program to make the act of experiencing live theatre for dramatists as accessible as possible.
We are grateful to Concord’s Sean Flahaven, Courtney Kochuba, Jeremiah Hernandez, Ella Andrew, and Abbie Van Nostrand for their unwavering commitment to this program. And we appreciate the work that DG’s Jordan Stovall and Kelley Phung have put into this program as well.
In the effort to guide and inspire the next generation of theatre writers, the Guild is actively engaging with writers ages twelve to 25 to better prepare them for a life in the theatre.
We are therefore thrilled to announce the official launch of our Young Dramatists program.
From teen playwriting classes taught through our very own Institute of Dramatic Writing to working with young playwright and composer programs, as well as high schools, colleges, and universities across the country, we aim to build relationships with young theatre writers everywhere. This past summer, six dramatists, and newly minted DG members, premiered new work through The 24 Hour Plays Nationals program, after spending the evening creating their work using DG’s Mary Rodgers Room as their home base.
Please look out for our new video series, “Notes to a Young Dramatist,” where seasoned writers will share craft advice through short video segments, hosted on the Guild’s website and social media platforms.
If you know of a young dramatist, or any dramatist of any age, please let them know that the Dramatists Guild is here for them. Let’s keep advocating for each other.
Emmanuel Wilson
Executive Director of Creative Affairs
