3 minute read

Welcome Letter

Next Article
Core Writers

Core Writers

A letter from the Directors

Playwrights’ Center was created as a refuge: an artistic home for playwrights to gather and share work. The spirit of our founding—serving a community of artists, embracing experimentation, and sharing stories that make a difference—guided us through 2020, a year like no other. The 2019–20 season began by bringing us closer to a new community of writers through our first Afro-Atlantic Playwright Festival, created in partnership with Carlyle Brown & Company and the Camargo Foundation’s Cultural Diaspora Program. We also deepened our connection with artists through more than 55 developmental workshop readings, three PlayLabs presentations, and four Ruth Easton New Play Series readings. One additional Ruth Easton Series reading was on the slate until the COVID-19 pandemic shifted everyone’s plans. Among the new plays shared with audiences were Pan Genesis by Marvin González De León, a dark comedy that takes a piercing look at gender and tribe, and AUTHOR AUTHOR, a collaboration of veteran playwright and Core Writer Jeffrey Hatcher and actress and emerging writer Sandra Struthers. As COVID-19 spread and theaters around the globe went dark, we quickly retooled for remote operations to meet the needs of our community. We launched a spring season within two weeks of closing our physical doors, providing more than 160 paid opportunities for theater artists from March through June 2020. Believing affordable healthcare for artists is crucial at any time, but especially critical during a worldwide pandemic, after years of planning, we offered health and wellness stipends for fellows for the first time. We also allocated dollars to support the health benefits of our other artistic collaborators like actors and directors during the pandemic. The shift to online programming, while unexpected and abrupt, had notable silver linings: Playwrights’ Center events created opportunities for connection at an isolating time, and the events became accessible to geographically distant audiences. The move to online operations contributed to growth in our membership. For the first time in the organization’s history, we served more than 2,200 members. It also allowed us to formalize Playwrights in Conversation programming and invite more people to hear playwrights’ thoughts about the craft and artistry that scaffolds their work. And we offered all of this programming to the public for free while paying the participating artists fair and equitable compensation. After the murder of George Floyd in late May 2020, we joined our community in grieving and calling for change. As protestors took to the streets and businesses burned just blocks from our building, we postponed some events and created new ones that spoke directly to our immediate circumstances. We were proud to enter into a partnership with Tru Ruts and the incomparable local actor and director Shá Cage to commission an anthology of 50 Black Minnesota artists to reflect on the moment.

Advertisement

Through the generosity of foundations, corporate and government partners, and individual supporters like you, we can be nimble, resilient, and responsive—even through a year that demanded new, innovative strategies to fulfill our mission. You helped us strengthen our already

robust balance sheet—built on year-over-year surpluses—for the sixth consecutive season. You fueled our ability to best serve the Centers’ growing community of change-making artists. And even in this most challenging year, you committed to and contributed to our capacity campaign during the quiet phase. Your support has allowed us to plan with confidence as we envision what comes next.

Our future outlook is promising. We’re continuing to expand our local, national, and international impact, making the Playwrights’ Center—and the Twin Cities—a world-class leader in new-play development as the field reimagines itself post-pandemic. With gratitude,

Jeremy B. Cohen Producing Artistic Director Robert Chelimsky Managing Director

This article is from: