Happy Anniversary EWG Blog!

By Sevan Kaloustian Greene, member of the 2011 Emerging Writers Group 

This is all too cliche and pat to say, but I can't believe it's been a year since the EWG blog sprouted in cyberspace. When I first brought up the idea of starting the blog I wasn't sure what the response was going to be, but the The Public gave me their blessing and bit of space on their site to try it out. It's been slow to take roots, but in the past 12 months we've seen an amazing slew of topics and responses that I hope have been informative and challenging for readers. We've covered everything from race to rejection letters and profanity to hair styles, and still managed to make it all relevant to the industry as it exists today. 

I hope you've enjoyed getting to meet some of the EWG bloggers, past and present, and getting to know them as people and as playwrights. I think we represent such a diverse tapestry of opinions and perspectives - a diversity sorely lacking in the theatre. While we've recently seen voices speaking up for equality and recognition (for example, the AAPAC), I think we have a long way to go in diversifying the storytelling on the American stage that moves beyond tokenism and commercial pandering. Lest I get on my sopabox in a celebratory post, I just want to express how much I hope that the melange of cultures in the EWG does one day, sooner rather than later, becomes a part of the American theatre in a recognizable way. We owe it to ourselves and to our art form to meet the standards being set in other places such as the UK. I believe that now is the time to start seeing and hearing those different voices even though we may be bombarded by whitewashed TV and film (oops - got on the soapbox). 

I hope you've enjoyed this rather mild, and wet, summer. I can't wait for the fall cycle of blogs to kick off next week as we head into our second year. I hope you'll continue to come back every week to see what we have to say and to pass it on to friends and colleagues. Changes have to start somewhere, no matter how small and insignificant they may seem now. 

My immense thanks and gratitude to all the EWG bloggers who have contributed and to the folks at The Public who entertained my silly little notion to start a blog and have supported it all the way. 

Sevan K. Greene is a member of the 2011 Emerging Writers Group. He's got some readings and things coming up which you should check out on his website (www.sevangreene.com) which he'll update as soon as he's done putting the finishing touches on his play about Lucifer. Yes...THAT Lucifer. Intrigued now, aren't you? An Apostolic Middle East-born Americanized playwright writing about a traditionally Christian force of evil in a romantic and heroic way. Oooo...prepare ye. 

This post is part of a weekly series from the Emerging Writers Group community of playwrights. The EWG is two-year playwriting fellowship at The Public Theater seeking to target playwrights at the earliest stages of their careers. In so doing, The Public hopes to create an artistic home for a diverse and exceptionally talented group of up-and-coming playwrights.