-
Illustration of Lisa Kron by Dan Romer -
Illustration of Lisa Kron by Dan Romer
I first encountered the Guild in 1993 when the director of a solo show I was doing in the East Village demanded co-writing credit and I wasn’t sure what to do. Someone suggested I call the Dramatists Guild. I couldn’t imagine they’d take my call. I was part of a dynamic downtown lesbian theater scene that was basically invisible above 14th Street and barely noticed below. But I was assured that DG would help me, so I called. The next thing I knew I was sitting in Richard Garmise’s office as he explained my rights as a playwright and offered advice about how I could protect them. Similarly, when I first came to Council I thought I’d be entering an old boys club, but Council’s biggest focus during my first term was The Count – the national survey of new play production that has led to unprecedented progress on gender parity for playwrights, and is now tackling racial and ethnic inequities in new plays. From the beginning of my career, the Guild has had my back, both personally and through their broad commitment to equity of opportunity. Since I joined the Guild, two plays of mine have gone to Broadway, and by paying my first-class assessments I’ve had the opportunity to pay some of that crucial support forward.
