I can’t believe Season 35 begins in two weeks.
When I see all the titles neatly lined up on a rack card or the websitwebsite, it looks beautiful. Sensible. Inevitable.
Here are the plays. Here are the dates. Voilà.
But curating a Season requires weighing genres, themes, voices, cast sizes, technical demands, and projections of costs and revenue.
Historically, an important distinction at The Ring has been between published and unpublished work.
Supporting new playwrights has always been a key component of our purpose.
But the longer I work with our Artistic Committee, the less black-and-white that distinction feels.
Published does not necessarily mean familiar.
And unpublished doesn’t necessarily mean original.
A published play may be recent, adventurous and completely unknown to our audience. Presenting it can be as bold and “risky” as a world premiere.
Meanwhile, an unpublished play by a beloved local playwright may already have an eager audience waiting for it—and feel like the safer choice.
So, what counts as “new”?
I think it’s a mindset.
A play can be new because it has never been published or produced before—or because it introduces a perspective or an aesthetic that is innovative.
Because directors, designers and performers approach it with imagination, courage and compelling reasons for telling that story now.
Our unique space helps. It is difficult for pretty much anything to feel conventional when the actors are three feet away and the stage is where your seat was last month.
So, I re-look at that rack card and think (hope!) Season 35 succeeds in premiering excellent new work and surprising with published titles.
It will be my pleasure to share it with you. See you on September 18th?
From my Ring-shaped heart,
Margherita
