This Op-Ed is about a subject that has, in my recent experience, significantly limited opportunities for some playwrights and greatly enhanced opportunities for others. This is, in my opinion, a result of recent cultural shifts and the emergence of “woke” ideology that The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as: “Aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues, especially racial and social justice.” 
And that, in my opinion, describes the state of theater (at our level) in 2023.

As a long-time peace and social justice advocate, I think this is great! For too long, too many people have been marginalized or under-represented among active playwrights. Many theater companies now reflect the “woke” ideology by limiting submissions, and frequently topics, to one or more “under-represented” groups that, for the sake of convenience, have been described by a veritable alphabet soup including but not limited to: “BIPOC” (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color); “LGBTQ”  (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning); “2SLGBTQIA+” (2Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Pansexual, aGender, Gender Queer, BiGender, Gender Variant, Pangender, Plus).

“E” IS FOR “ELDER”

You will notice there are no “E’s” in this alphabet soup. If you haven’t guessed by now, “E” is for Elder. There are a lot of playwrights in their 50’s, 60’s, 70’s (and up) who are not BIPOC or LGBTQ+ who still have a lot to contribute, especially by virtue of greater longevity. And yet, in my experience, there are very few submission opportunities for works by elder playwrights. There are numerous calls for new plays by high-schoolers and playwrights “under 25,” but very few that I’ve been able to find for works by senior citizens and playwrights “over 50.” If that had been the case in the past, there are many late-in-life writers who we might never have heard of. For example: Raymond Chandler who began at age 51; Richard Adams who began at 52; Annie Proulx who began at 57; Laura Ingalls Wilder who began at 65; and Frank McCourt who began at 66, to mention just a few.

So, my main point being that theater companies, when serving “Alphab*t Soup” might benefit by adding a dash of “E” to the recipe! Mmmmm...delicious!

John McDonnell Tierney
Heath, Massachusetts
January 2, 2023