“There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born here, who takes the city for granted and accepts its size and its turbulence as natural and inevitable. Second, there is the New York of the commuter—the city that is devoured by locusts each day and spat out each night. Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something. Of these three trembling cities the greatest is the last—the city of final destination, the city that is a goal. It is this city that accounts for New York’s high-strung disposition, its poetical department, its dedication to the arts, and its incomparable achievements. Commuters give the city its tidal restlessness; natives give it solidity and continuity; but the settlers give it passion.” E. B. White in Here is New York (1949).
Theater people feel this third New York, as quest, goal and focus of their passion. LMDA-NYC members work in and freelance for Broadway productions, off and off Broadway venues and productions, teach in area schools, write in a wide range of related professions. Playwrights, directors, dramaturgs, theater people and writers of all sorts are welcome as members and guests at our events. In recent years we have convened with literary managers and dramaturgs from Manhattan Theatre Club to Roundabout Theatre Company, from The Lark Playwright Development Center to Lincoln Center, and many additional venues. We held an event at The Players in early 2015 in our constant search to make institutional connections and seek out archival resources to explore. Some of LMDA’s founders and current leadership plan and meet with us regularly, along with newly minted dramaturgs and people merely interested in exploring the perspective of the profession.
Broadway’s 40-something venues with 500 or more seats located mostly in midtown only begin to represent the range of theater venues in this region and the work venues of the LMDA members who reside here. The region is a destination for the world and home to our members, and we meet to socialize and learn from one another, and promote the practice of dramaturgy throughout the area.
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