Gary Garrison, David Faux, Seth Cotterman and Amy Von Vett came to visit and a wonderful time was had by all!
Last Saturday at the DG’s Saturday event, I was met by the irrepressible Larry Dean Harris with a hug. Then Gary opened the session with a town hall meeting where he encouraged and cajoled and reminded us his team is there for each and every one of us, from contracts to advice to the members only portion of the DG website. Specifically, he reminded us, he cannot help, if he doesn’t know; if we don’t tell him. I was helped immensely by David Faux several years ago during a difficult time. Saturday made me proudly remember I am a member of a community and not just writing alone in my far corner of the world.
Gary also discussed the first national DG conference last year in Virginia and promoted the second coming up this August in Chicago. Much of the content will be streamed so even those of us who cannot make the trip, can watch a portion of the conference. And he announced the 2015 conference will be held in Los Angeles!
I attended David Faux’ break-out session on the business of playwriting where he broke down the DG Bill of Rights into witty, passionate and accessible terms and answered many questions. If you’ve not read the DG Bill of Rights, here is the link: http://www.dramatistsguild.com/billofrights/. Take the time to read it. It is who you are; a professional. I needed to be reminded. I find it difficult to stand up for my rights. But stand up I will. It’s funny. I realized, if I don’t demand a professional contract, why should anybody else treat me as one?
Oh, then lunch. I cannot say enough about the kindness of Ebony Rep/Nate Holden Performing Arts Center and their volunteer run snack bar. The turkey sandwich with the added slice of apple was simply delicious!
Thank you so much for a marvelous afternoon and for bringing me back to the fold. 🙂
Thanks for this, and especially thanks for the link to the bill of rights — whoo hoo!
Great article, Erica! Thanks for sharing.