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12:09:00 PM EDT
Great mother's day present in the Sunday paper...
The headline of an article by Kerry Lengel in the Arizona Republic read simply, "Playwrights see their works come alive at Pandora Festival." Magic words to a playwright who lives for those opportunities sometimes waiting years for recognition. Lengel states that my son Raymond, artistic director of Playwrights Workshop Theatre, provided an outlet for dozens of Arizona playwrights for a decade!
How that takes me back to some exciting years. I had two full length plays produced by this company, one when it was barely getting off the ground "Happy Hello, Sad Goodby", and another "Prnce from Saturn" when the company leased a space in a former church and moved downtown. Unforgettable memories for me and for other playwrights who wondered as I did if I would ever get a play done here again. Raymond made heroic efforts to keept this company going, but there were tremendous inner problems. He needed to break with his partner who had not really shared his dreams or his direction in spite of being there from the beginning. This happens with partnerships, but that should not mean that no more local playwrights get recognized in Arizona!
But such recognition requires group effort from everybody including from the all important newspaper writers who cover or don't cover these events. If the theater critics trash new plays too hard, they will blight the theater directors efforts to take big risks in producing them. New work is a risk!
I am more hopeful than I have been in years because, folks, Arizona State University is becoming such a big presence downtown. David Goldstein of the state Arizona Theater Company which is regional, since they also produce their plays in Tucson, has already formed a connection to the ASU theater department. He can recognize the importance of new work with an alliance to the unversity. That's what a good university is all about, teaching the young to write.
Raymond's ten years at Metro Arts encouraging new work by writers on a high school level can only give him a stronger voice as a mentor in the community at large. He knows how to do it! Life can only get better here for local playwrights, I am convinced!
Play program for my play, "Prince from Saturn" produced in October1990
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Happy Mother's Day!
Missie -
That has to have brought you pleasure to have someone actually aknowledge work done over the years. In the Arizona Republic no less! Raymond probably enjoyed reading a little praise too. He has worked hard wherever he was. It is always fun to get praise for hard work done. Happy Mother's Day. Ann
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How impressive Gerry and a Happy Mother's Day to you. Paula
5/14/08 11:31 AM
Lisa