Discover volunteer opportunities in your local dramatist community.
Being a Dramatists Guild member is being a part of an international community of writers who are passionate about making the industry a better place for all. On this page you will find the current structure looks like for Regional Programs: what they do, who is involved, and how you might be able to participate on a local level.
In short, our regional outreach is currently comprised of the following programs: Regional Council, National Affairs Committee, Regional Rep Program, and Ambassador Program. Read below to find out more about each one.
Expanding The Members of Our Council
As you may or may not know, the Dramatists Guild is governed by a board of directors (Council) elected from its membership. These writers, in various stages of their theatrical careers, meet monthly to decide policy for the Guild. To see the current list of who’s on Council, click here.
Around four years ago, we dedicated five seats on the Council to be dedicated to those living across the country as Regional Council members. Regional Council members tend to be former Regional Reps and/or those who have given exemplary service and significant contributions to improving the landscape for new writing in their respective areas. Here is how the Regional Council is currently divided as of the last Regional Council election:
There is one Regional Council member per election district as show in the map above. They are elected by the membership to serve three-year terms. After their term is up, they may run again to represent their areas as incumbents. The current Regional Council is comprised of:
- SoCal: Larry Dean Harris
- West: Kate Danley
- South: Pamela Turner
- Middle: Cheryl Coons
- NorthEast: Stephen Kaplan
There is no Regional Council member assigned to New York City, as there is already adequate representation from that locale on the Council prior to the creation of Regional Council seats.
National Affairs Committee
The National Affairs Committee is a newly formed small group of Regional Reps, Ambassadors, DG staff members, and Regional Council members that meet on a monthly basis to strategize new opportunities for engagement with membership across the country, develop new ways to personalize and localize the experience of Dramatists Guild membership, and oversee the infrastructure of regional programs. They also help inform the agenda for Regional Council in upcoming Council meetings.
The National Affairs Committee is currently comprised of:
Regional Reps
DG Regional Representatives work on the front lines, across the country, to engage with their community, share resources, and provide support to Guild members in the area. They are nominated and elected into their positions for three-year terms by DG members in their communities, receive an orientation, communicate with Regional Council, and attend monthly meetings with Guild staff. They write three National Reports per year to be published in The Dramatist magazine. They also attend our Annual Meeting.
Regional Reps monitor Dramatists Guild email accounts to answer member questions and strengthen local relationships. Regional Reps are your front line of support and are always reachable via their Dramatists Guild email addresses.
To see a current list of Regional Reps, as well as find who might be nearest you, please visit our Regional Reps and Ambassadors page. You may also go directly to our Regional Rep/Ambassador contact form to send them a message.
Explore our weekly Digest e-mail for more information about local Guild events and craft sessions, or login to the Dramatists Guild website to see all upcoming Regional events across the country in your member dashboard, or in the Resource Directory calendar.
Ambassadors
An extension of the Regional Rep program, Ambassadors have less formal responsibility than Regional Reps, but inform the work we do in similar ways. In more densely populated regions, they may assist the local Regional Rep in their responsibilities. They also may be stationed in far-reaching areas of a region that might be difficult for a Regional Rep to travel to, or in a geographic area of the country that does not have a Regional Rep.
Ambassadors can autonomously create Dramatists Guild events and programming, pass along information to Dramatists Guild staff, Regional Council, general information sharing, and more. They are also invited to attend monthly meetings with Dramatists Guild staff. Ambassadors are also reachable via the Regional Rep/Ambassador contact form.
Interested in applying to be a Dramatists Guild Ambassador? Fill out an application here.