This has been bugging me for a long time. Not so much bugging as it is irritating the hell out of me. As opposed to theatre that is created for the social elite (something we might finally be getting away from after hundreds of years), we are now leaning towards a highly specialized theatre solely for sub-cultures and sub-cultures of sub-cultures. This theatre specializes in Gay Women's Issues. The theatre on the West side of town focuses on The Southern African American Experience. That theatre over there focuses on Latino Political Issues. The theatre across the way focuses on new works from Northern Irish writers. This theatre focuses on the pubic lice on the upper left side of Abraham Lincoln's beard!

What happened to telling a story? What happened to that wonderful, amazing, revolutionary feat of refusing agendas and simply making art!? Instead of pushing away those who do not belong to the social elite, we are now pushing away anyone who doesn't belong to our little sub-culture, or our pop ideas of what is "the norm". The big new trend is to form a theatre for the sole purpose of furthering a singular agenda. All is well and good if you are an audience member who feels a connection to that agenda. But this is also where the problem lies. Again, the only people who go to these specialized theatres are those people who feel a connection to that material. Why? Because the theatre going crowd has gotten hip to this. They know which theatre produces what work. And if they don't feel welcome by the "specialization" then they won't put themselves in the seat. We are creating denominations to theatre and it is DETRIMENTAL to our well-being.

The "new voices" of our theatre have become so focused that it has left out the true nature of the theatre which is to tell a GOOD STORY. My word, if at least a quarter of the playwrights out there had a political, social, racial, or sexual agenda and actually wrapped an enjoyable dramatic structure around it, I would crap my pants (there are a handful who do, bless their souls). And if theatres out there would start recognizing the good stories instead of the pop-issues, maybe they wouldn't be folding at a rate of ten per month (that's a freakin' lot people). No more issue theatre--unless you're going to tell a good story--please! No more Iraq plays unless you have something unique and interesting to say AND you make it engaging to watch.

Believe me, I share the guilt. I should have been arrested for this more than once. But in retrospect, my guilt can share blame with the fact that we as playwrights can't get produced unless we are "issue" playwrights. We're almost forced to write it! And maybe we should be writing it? Maybe that is our job as artists? There are thematic elements in most of my plays that I believe strongly in, sure. And maybe my themes will become the flavor of the month some day? But I don't want them being produced for that reason alone. I want them produced because, again, they tell a good story.

I think there's something more important here. Something under the covers. I have been privy to a good number of producing companies who, when they refer to a playwright, use words like: black, gay, white, latino, muslim, wiccan, disabled, etc. etc. etc. followed by the word playwright. We are no longer playwrights who happen to be from the Phillipines. We are Phillipino playwrights. We are no longer playwrights who happen to be in a wheelchair. We are paraplegic playwrights. Our experiences make each of us unique, sure. But the focus of artists should be to come together, not to separate by pointless titles that we can't help.

So stop. Please. Produce good plays. Who cares who writes them?

First and foremost, let me extend a giant thank you for visiting my new website. Because of the efforts of an incredibly talented gentleman (whose name shall not be mentioned--Jim), I now have the ability to share some of my plays, as well as up to date news on what is occuring in my professional life.

I hope to be able to use this blog to create dialogue concerning the issues that effect the American Theatre and playwrights around the country. I also plan to post my bi-monthly column from "The Dramatist" magazine which focuses on theatre in and around the Twin Cities. Also, any interesting tidbits I come across about life in general that might be worth a read could certainly find their way here. And finally, I will admit to my strong opinions concerning theatre and will gladly post said opinions without hesitation. Constant dialogue on what we can do to improve our positions as artists is neccessary for a healthy theatre. If it weren't for strong opinions we would have no visionaries, and ALL theatre would suck, not just a good portion of it. So please, adhere to my thoughts if you so choose, or create your own. But don't be that guy who sits in the back of the house and claps sarcastically at the curtain call but doesn't stick around to justify his rude actions. No one likes that guy.

Disregard all of the sob stories you may have heard from other writers about how difficult it is to survive the business. If you feel that passionately against it, stop doing it. Being a playwright is, in fact, marvelous. I love what I do. As Gary Garrison says, "No one asked you to be a writer!" Even if we never receive a full-production, the sheer joy we get as writers by simply putting our stories on the page is phenomenal. Don't get me wrong, recognition is wonderful too. But it's not why I write.

So...why do I? I think the answer is strangely simplistic; I write because I will get in trouble if I don't. I am absolutely positive that if I weren't a writer, I would be a con-man or a politican or some other form of professional liar. The page and the stage have given me the perfect outlet to release my incredibly strong urge to lie. I have always made "reality" a little bit more interesting for myself. I recall, quite vividly in fact, show and tell in the third grade. My family's four-day trip to Wisconsin turned in to cage diving with Great White Sharks in the Great Barrier Reef. And I had a "sharktooth" (a bit of glass) to prove it. A night time drive through the north woods became a ghostly encounter with a young girl with no eyes dressed in white(a white plastic garbage bag blowing across the road). With drama, with the theatre, I have no use for garbage bags. I can demand a little girl in a white dress with no eyes being chased by a talking Great White Shark with legs (feel free to use that, but I demand credit).

I love stories. I love listening to them and I love creating them. This site is devoted to that basic human desire to learn more about each other through our own unique experiences. These are mine.