Dear Dramaturgs (and Artistic Directors, Directors, Producers and Literary Managers who dramaturg as well),

We love dramaturgs.  We really do.  At best you keep our passion alive when we’re two years into the play, wondering why we ever became writers and (literally) losing the plot.  You’re our first audience, our champion in buildings, our advocate in the maelstrom of rehearsals.  So this is a difficult letter to write.  A nearly impossible letter for any one of us to write as an individual.  As you know, writing is a process of  self-stripping.  It leaves us so vulnerable.  Every time we turn in a first draft, we worry that it’s crap.  Therefore we suppress doubts about your notes.  It’s your job to make our plays better.  Moreover you are often also the gatekeepers.   And we rewrite, and resubmit although the notes may not feel right to us, and still we write ourselves deeper into development hell.

Of course development hell is ecumenical and embraces writers of all races.  Every writer has had their share of miscarried projects.  But we have noticed certain patterns of injury specific to writers of colour after bruising encounters with Eurocentric dramaturgy (to clarify: Eurocentric dramaturgy is a tradition, a worldview, a set of power-relations, and can be internalised by dramaturgs of all races).   So this is what we hope you will keep in mind:

1) You want to help the writer write “the best play possible”.  What objective criteria is being used?  Does one write the best play possible for a mainstream audience? Is the audience the benchmark?  One of the stated aims of commissioning ‘diverse’ plays is to attract diverse audiences.  If that is the case, our plays need to speak to both a mainstream mostly white audience as well as those from specific cultural communities.
2) When you are trying to help the writer find the “universality” of a play, are you demanding cuts that are culture-specific, robbing it of its specificity?  If so, what or whose universality are we assuming?  
3) Are you expecting a certain kind of play from writers of colour?  Are we expected to represent our community in a straight naturalistic/kitchen sink format, or are you open to us experimenting with form like our white colleagues?
4) It’s great that the conversation about cultural appropriation has advanced to the point where we are commissioned to adapt novels/plays from our own cultures, but please do not then use the work of White academics and translators to judge our artistic choices.  Of course White academics have many valuable insights to offer.  However, do not use their expertise to force our script into a shape not of our choosing.
5) Next time you commission a ‘straight’ adaptation of a Chekhov or an Ibsen, consider commissioning a writer of colour without making them transfer the action to Africa or the Middle East or Asia unless that was their choice.
6) We all extrapolate from our own personal experiences.  However, experiences are not always relatable.  Giving a note about immigration, war, female violence or other such issues through those lens may do more harm than good.  For example, immigration from Ireland or other majority White countries, does not necessarily equip one to understand immigration as a POC into an all White society.
7) Taking up the position of 'being the audience' is a not a useful tool for most POC writers. If you imagine the audience knows 'less' than you about the subjective heart of the play, then your dramaturgy will be about educating “the audience' instead of telling the story in the best way.   POC writers should not have to educate an audience/the dramaturg.
8) Do not be too reverential!  Our cultures are not museum pieces, and we claim the freedom to send it up, mash up genres, poke fun and be playful.  
9) Are you upfront about the limits of your knowledge?  Would you invite another dramaturg into the process if you feel that your experience of the subject or world is limiting to the development of the play?
10) In  general, before you give us notes, ask yourself the question: would I give this note to a White writer of similar experience and skill?    
11) For writers of colour to be able to present their story truthfully, including the uncomfortable truths. For you to support us in being brave. Commissioning a POC to write a play is already viewed as a 'risk', and so it feels as though we're not allowed to take 'risks' in our work itself. If we're writing characters from our own particular community/faith, please trust us to make the necessary judgments on how much or little we might want  to challenge our own community/faith.

We know that dramaturgs are not the ultimate gatekeepers.  We know that dramaturgical advice is frequently in thrall to those who decide what goes on stage.  We know that for Eurocentric dramaturgy to change, everything must change, and that diversity and inclusion must happen everywhere at once.  We also know that this is a very difficult time for dramaturgs, especially for freelancers.  However, we believe that this is a conversation we need to start and we intend it in a spirit of collegiality. We are appealing to you as our valued allies to work for the transformation of theatre by starting with Story.  

Theatre is a huge umbrella.  The Eurocentric version is just one of many traditions.  British theatre has been influenced by Brecht and Artaud who were in turn influenced by Asian theatre practice.   We look forward to a constructive and beautiful relationship embracing this diversity as a strength, not a threat to established modes of storytelling in this culture.

With love and respect,

Hassan Abdulrazzak
Mojisola  Adebayo
Oladipo Agboluaje
Mediah Ahmed
Claudia Alick  (USA)
Rinabeth Apostol (USA)
Ajjaz Awad-Ibrahim
Paula B Stanic
Kirsten Baity (USA)
Alia Bano
Shekhar Bassi
Jala Bennett (USA)
Sudha Bhuchar
Rogelio Braga
Judith Bryan
Diana Burbano (USA)
Umar Butt
Apphia Campbell
Sharmila Chauhan
Mei-fang Chiu
Satinder Kaur Chohan
Kyo Choi
Vera  Chok
Emile Clarke
Dermot Daly
Zoey Dawson
Titilola Dawudu
Tuyen Do
Afshan D’souza-Lodhi
Reginald Edmund (USA)
Omar Elerian
Inua Ellams
Amy Evans
Jennifer Farmer
Rahaf Fasheh (Canada)
Sheri Flanders (USA)
Lorna French
David Furlong
Addae G
Yvette Ganier (USA)
Hortense Gerardo
Kathryn Golding
Aaron Gordon (USA)
Angelo Greene (USA)
Maryam Hamidi
Matt Henry
David Hermanstein
Ashley J Hicks (USA)
Kim Ho (Australia)
Andre Richardson Hogan II (USA)
Ray Hogg (Canada)
Stephen Hoo
Dianna Hunt
Rabiah Hussain
Shai Hussain
Matilda Ibini
Sami Ibrahim
Shahid Iqbal Khan
Sarah Isaac
Ferhana Jameel
Ann James (USA)
Hannah Khalil
Asif Khan
Nina Ki (USA)
Rose Kim (USA)
Jisun Kim (USA)
Anchuli King (Australia)
Ash Kotak
Nicole Latchana
Hannah Lavery
Michele Lee (Australia)
Segun Lee-French
Andrea Ling
Rachel Lynett (USA)
Sibusiso Mamba
Santoshi Mann
Lynsey Martenstyn
Nemo Martin
Cin Martínez  (USA)
Bobbi Masters (USA)
Ah-Keisha McCants (USA)
Amina McIntyre  (USA)
Endy Mckay
Guleraana Mir
Addae Moon  (USA)
Rani Moorthy
Dominique Morisseau  (USA)
Tara Moses  (USA)
Richard Mosqueda  (USA)
Leah Muwanga-Magoye
Raman Mundair
Tonderai Munyevu
Liz Mytton
Carmen Nasr
Cheryl Ndione
Aviva Neff  (USA)
Amy Ng
Zodwa Nyoni
Ery Nzaramba
Rex Obano
Chinonyerem Odimba
Erlina Ortiz (USA)
Jaivant Patel
Medhavi Patel
Angie Peña-Arenas
John Pfumojena
Janice Poon (Hong Kong)
Nathan Powell
Ben Quashie
Iman Qureshi
Purnima Rai
Sharon Raizada
Hari Ramakrishnan
Amrita Ramanan (USA)
Vickie Ramirez (USA)
Paislie Reid
Sabrina Richmond
Kimeco Roberson (USA)
Kal Sabir
keith Saha
Elizabeth Salazar (USA)
Phaedra Scott (USA)
Sana Selemon (USA)
Jennifer Senecal (USA)
Sara Shaarawi (USA)
Kaamil Shah
Leslie Ann Sheppard (USA)
Divinia Shorter (USA)
Daphnie Sicre (USA)
Shamser Sinha
Afrikah Smith (USA)
Adeola Solanke
Aneesha Srinivasan
Kalungi Ssebandeke
Farokh Soltani
Naomi Sumner Chan
Samson Syharath (USA)
Alaa Taha
Rajesh Thind
Yero Timi-Biu
Julie Tsang
David Valdes (USA)
Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay (USA)
Daniel Ward
Andrew Watring (USA)
Amanda Wilkin
Gabby Wong
Marie Yan (France)
Sharifa Yasmin (USA)
Katy Zapanta (USA)
Aisha Zia
Jay Zorenti-Nakhid