Here is the third in a series of interviews that will be devoted to people involved in the new play development sector. On Deck: Wendy C. Goldberg, Artistic Director of The Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, Waterford, CT.
Vijay Mathew: What is the purpose of the National Playwrights Conference?
Wendy C. Goldberg: Here's what we've defined as our core values:
-To support playwrights in their artistic process.
-To provide an artistic home for generations of playwrights.
-To maintain an open submission policy in our on going effort to identify new storytellers.
-To provide playwrights support in all areas of the theatrical medium: professional actors, directors, dramaturgs and designers.
-To help move plays into the theatrical canon by identifying opportunities for future productions and publication.
-To educate the next generation of theater artists by creating opportunities within our organization for internship and mentorship.
For one month, Conference participants representing a wide range of experience -- from playwrights working on a first play to Broadway veterans -- are teamed with emerging and seasoned directors and actors from on and off-Broadway and regional theaters to engage in a six-day-a-week process of rehearsals and two script-in-hand readings of their play. The Conference also serves as a retreat for writers in residence working independently on special projects, and all participants have access to discussions with special guests. Past speakers have included playwrights Edward Albee, Sarah Ruhl, Romulus Linney and Paula Vogel, and John Patrick Shanley.
Vijay Mathew: How are the playwrights chosen to participate? How is the selection process designed?
Wendy C. Goldberg: The majority of our conference is chosen through our open submissions process. This process allows any playwright, from across the country or around the globe, to submit work for consideration and possible inclusions. Each work submitted is read by our team of volunteer readers. These individuals include Artistic Directors, Dramaturgs, Designers, Actors and playwrights. Each reader covers anywhere from 3 to 10 scripts. Each script is read anonymously in the first round, so that the readers only know the play title that they are reading. This anonymity is at the heart of our selection process, allowing us to focus on the merit of the script. Once we have heard from all of our readers, we cut to a semifinalist round of about 160 scripts. These scripts are read and reread and considered internally, until we find a Finalist group of around 30. From this final pool we will accept 5 or 6 scripts for development in the summer.
Vijay Mathew: How is the play development designed? What is the artistic process of the Conference?
Wendy C. Goldberg: The O'Neill is blessed with the longest legacy of play development in the country and much of what we do was established by the pioneer Lloyd Richards. Essentially, each playwright is invited for the entire month of July. With in this month long residency they will have a 4 day rehearsal period, culminating in two public performances. It is the classic workshop model that was originally developed at the O'Neill. Unique to our process is the involvement of designers in the conversation of development. This is most pronounced in our Dream Design Meeting, at which the playwrights and designers explore the visual, aural, and tactical life of the play. This collaboration is something that is usually only undergone at the beginning of a full production, but we find this to be a vital point of intersect of theater artist and an invigorating experience for the playwrights.
Vijay Mathew: How does the Conference uniquely serve or impact playwrights and plays and the field as a whole?
Wendy C. Goldberg: Of course, the historical importance of The O'Neill is well established – as it provided safe harbor for playwrights now firmly placed as greats in the American Cannon, namely August Wilson and Wendy Wasserstein. Recent accomplishments: In the 2007-2008 seasons, the O’Neill celebrated nine world premiere productions of work first seen at the O’Neill at theaters in New York and across the country. Included in this group are Adam Bock’s THE RECEPTIONIST, Rebecca Gilman’s THE CROWD YOU’RE IN WITH, Lee Blessing’s GREAT FALLS, Ifa Bayeza’s THE BALLAD OF EMMETT TILL, and Roberto Aguirre Sacasa’s GOOD BOYS AND TRUE. During the past four summers, international collaborations have been established with Ireland’s Abbey Theater as well as the Druid Theater. In addition domestic collaborations have been explored with the Alliance Theater in Atlanta and there is an on-going collaboration with Chicago’s Goodman Theatre.
Beyond the direct professional development, the atmosphere of The O'Neill is continually referenced by our artist as a key feature. One truly feels like as if the world outside does not exist. Writers are free to dream and ideas are allowed to germinate in this safe harbor. And all of our artists, including our playwrights, make life long connections with this landscape and the people they met here.
Vijay Mathew: How would you define a successful residency at the Conference?
Wendy C. Goldberg: It is our hope that the work deepens and grows in the appropriate ways during its time here so we can help a writer in the process of moving his or her play into full production in the upcoming seasons. We have selected work that we believe to be vital and important. We do this with the direct purpose of eventually seeing the work move on to its world premiere, and hopefully beyond into subsequent productions.
Vijay Mathew: What is the role that the Conference plays in supporting unknown playwrights?
Wendy C. Goldberg: It's no secret that we continue to host accomplished playwrights, along side with our unknowns. I think this interaction can be one of the most valuable of the summer. Reaching out and finding mentors who have been through the trial and tribulations of professional theater, especially in the difficult role of playwright, can be the most important relationships that are found at The O'Neill. Aside from those who are invited to participate in the conference, we also host playwrights from across the country through our collaboration with the Kennedy center. Graduate and undergraduate students also get the time to write, a have a window into the professional world.
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