When I was a child, I thought that all playwrights were dead -- and that all plays had already been written. I was riveted by my first experiences watching Shakespeare's plays, but I didn't know that playwriting was a living, breathing art form.

Today, I'm astonished by a seemingly infinite supply of fresh stories writers have to share. Primary Stages is filled with these passionate and talented storytellers. Their hunger to create signals a promising future, driven by emerging playwrights with immense potential. Unfortunately, opportunities for writers to share their work with audiences are not infinite. It takes a supportive community to bring a writer's voice to the stage.  

That's why I encourage you to donate now to the Primary Stages ESPA*Drills Campaign, and support a program that connects audiences with new plays by writers from the Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts.

The art of playwriting is alive and in the skilled hands of  

the playwrights shaping the theater today. The theater's future is also in the hands of the audiences and donors who support opportunities for artists to share their voice. Together, we contribute to our flourishing theatrical landscape.

Sincerely,

Tanya Barfield is a Playwright, a Writing Instructor at the Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts, and on the faculty of the Fordham/Primary Stages MFA in Playwriting Program. Next spring, Primary Stages will produce the world premiere of her play, The Call, in collaboration with Playwrights Horizons.