Ran into a playwright buddy the other day and he said to me. “Oh! I have good news! X Theatre Co. is giving me a reading in May!”
“Congratulations,” I said. But it only dawned on me after we’d parted that there’s an implicit characterization of the transaction contained in the language we commonly use in this situation.
“The theatre company gave me a reading.”
Really?
The truth is, it’s a two way street. Sure, we’re pleased and thrilled to be given an opportunity to hear our work read. But, conversely, every time a non-profit theatre “gives” us a reading, it has just added one more name to the list of playwrights whose work it “supports” to be included in applications for funding from all sorts of sources.
When a theatre applies for foundation support and describes the work of its prior fiscal year, it’s not uncommon for some variation of the following sentence to find its way into the proposal text. “Last year, through our various programming, we supported the work of x playwrights.” That number x is a whole lot more impressive when counting readings and workshops in addition to full productions.
It’s the difference between:
“Last year, we supported the work of 4 playwrights.”
and
“Last year, we supported the work of 37 playwrights.”
Which would you rather put on a grant application?
So the next time a theatre offers to “give” you a reading of your new play, stop to consider that you’re also giving them something in return. Something they can translate directly into dollars.
It’s worth keeping in mind, I think.
Really?
The truth is, it’s a two way street. Sure, we’re pleased and thrilled to be given an opportunity to hear our work read. But, conversely, every time a non-profit theatre “gives” us a reading, it has just added one more name to the list of playwrights whose work it “supports” to be included in applications for funding from all sorts of sources.
When a theatre applies for foundation support and describes the work of its prior fiscal year, it’s not uncommon for some variation of the following sentence to find its way into the proposal text. “Last year, through our various programming, we supported the work of x playwrights.” That number x is a whole lot more impressive when counting readings and workshops in addition to full productions.
It’s the difference between:
“Last year, we supported the work of 4 playwrights.”
and
“Last year, we supported the work of 37 playwrights.”
Which would you rather put on a grant application?
So the next time a theatre offers to “give” you a reading of your new play, stop to consider that you’re also giving them something in return. Something they can translate directly into dollars.
It’s worth keeping in mind, I think.
[first published in the e-Newsletter of the Dramatists Guild of America]