Mar 1, 2007
from the Dramatists Guild Newsletter--reprinted with permission
From the Desk of Gary Garrison
PEOPLE… PEOPLE WHO NEED PEOPLE
(Portion excised)
As of today, the Guild will no longer publicize calls for submissions that have a fee attached unless that fee is transparent (where does the money go and to whom) in the description to the reader. The subtext: it is not okay to charge a dramatist a fee to supplement a theatre or producer’s production opportunity. YOUR ART IS FEE ENOUGH!
I know all the arguments of why some theatres and producers position that they must charge fees: “We couldn’t afford to produce the event if we didn’t charge a fee. We have to hire readers. We have to publicize the event. We have to pay the actors and directors. We have to offer prize money . . .” I understand that, but theatres and producers are doing that on the backs of people that are more poor than they are! What?! On average, dramatists spend ten dollars to submit a play or musical anywhere in this country: printing, copying, postage, return postage, binders, envelopes. If a theatre or producer tacks on an additional $10, $15 or $30 fee, one submission now costs anywhere from $20-50, with no guarantees that anything will come of it. And yes, I know: there are no guarantees for anyone in the theatre. But all too often this feels like, “we’re not going to guarantee you anything, AND we’re going to charge you for the privilege of that, AND you’ll probably never hear from us, AND don’t expect any kind of critical reaction to your material, AND don’t expect notification of who, in fact, was chosen.” And if it’s not a money issue then it’s a spirit issue: it’s demeaning enough to submit your work to theatres and producers that you never hear from. To pay someone for their silence is too much to ask anyone.
Of course, the easiest thing (at least to me) is to make all fees transparent in the listings (Fee: $25; $10 for readers, $15 for prize money). At least then we can all start holding people accountable on some level. And you can decide if you like what you read. To be clear: we’ll publish a call for submission that explains how submission money is used (some producers do that now). And we’ll continue to publish the big four: the O’Neill, Sundance, Susan Blackburn Prize, Actors Theatre of Louisville with date reminders. But we will no longer list an opportunity that requires you pay a fee to be considered for inclusion.
Enough is enough.
Gary
ggarrison at dramatistsguild dot com
Feb 28, 2007
edward albee via Freeman
http://matthewfreeman.blogspot.com/
"We have no paucity of good young playwrights, and
good older playwrights; we don't have the happiest
environment for them to work in. Like in the art world
and in literature, the theater's just as trendy, as
dangerous and corrupt. The big problem is the
assumption that writing a play is a collaborative act.
It isn't. It's a creative act, and then other people
come in. The interpretation should be for the accuracy
of what the playwright wrote. Playwrights are expected
to have their text changed by actors they never
wanted. Directors seem to feel they are as creative as
the playwright. Most of these changes are for
commercial reasons. I know a lot about it because I'm
on the council of the Dramatists Guild, but of course
the pressures are on all of us. I'm in the lucky
position where I just say, 'Go fuck yourself; if you
don't want to do the play I wrote, do another play.'
The forces of darkness would back down if everybody
said that."
go here please
http://algore.com/cards.html it will take you less than 30 seconds.
