A Farewell Letter from Annie

Hello friends,

During my first semester of grad school, my playwriting professor Leslie Ayvazian invited Kate to come to our class and share her experience at PlayCo as a new play producer and dramaturg. I was enchanted by the way she thought and spoke about what she envisioned theatre could be for audiences here in NYC, and several members of my cohort and I immediately bought student tickets for PlayCo’s production of Amir Nizar Zuabi’s Oh My Sweet Land in the Bronx. Watching solo performer Nadine Malouf cook kibbeh in a small upstairs kitchen changed my life–in less than 90 minutes, my nascent understanding of theatre was transformed forever. Nothing about that extraordinary production was conventional and I knew as I accepted a small piece of sweet Syrian pastry on my way out that I needed PlayCo to be part of my journey.

I basically begged for an internship shortly after, and by the end of my first semester I was hustling towards the PlayCo offices three times a week with my parka and a slice of dollar pizza from the store on the corner that is now yet another cannabis dispensary. We were in our old offices back then, which were much smaller, scrappier, and stuffed with old props and paper. We barely fit around a table, but I loved being surrounded by relics from our past productions and playscripts from every corner of the world. I spent eight months with PlayCo, far longer than the length of a standard internship, and with every new play and artist I met, my horizons continued to expand.

In fall 2020, we were eight months into a global pandemic and life looked very different. I had–against all odds–just finished my MFA, and was sequestered in my childhood home in the suburbs of Chicago, watching Chinese dramas with my parents and trying to accept the possibility that if there was to be more theatre in my future, it wouldn’t look anything like my previous expectations. Even before the pandemic, the industry was undergoing seismic shifts and our field at-large was processing some harsh truths about how people treated each other, questioning where power and money was centered, and the overall value of the arts in our society.

When I got a call from Kate and Rob asking me if I would be interested in rejoining PlayCo on staff as they navigated a new digital landscape, it was a lifeline and an opportunity to reenter the wider world. Over the past five years and nearly a dozen productions, from stewarding digital programming to returning to in-person productions and expanding how we show up in our community, I have been so honored to do my part in bringing the world a little closer. And these days, do we need it!

I’m not always known for being economical in my speech or in my writing, but in this case I hope my memories of PlayCo help contextualize how very bittersweet it is to share with you that I will be concluding my tenure as Associate Director for Artistic Programming on October 27 and transitioning to a new role as Associate Artistic Director at East West Players, the largest and longest-running Asian American theater in the country, in Los Angeles this November.

PlayCo is and will continue to be embedded in the DNA of who I am as a dramaturg, arts administrator, and human being, and I’m truly excited for my formative experiences here to help shape my leadership at East West Players going forward. I have absolutely loved the challenge of developing and producing plays from around the world for New York audiences, and advocating for our small but critically important niche in theatre. From attending my first TCG conference in Pittsburgh to meeting playwrights over hainan chicken in Singapore; designing programs that look like takeout menus and assembling opening night gifts of tiny embroidery kits; leading the creation of a new website and brand refresh, and facilitating artistic exchanges with the renowned Sala Beckett in Barcelona (with more to come!); near or far, every step has been hand-in-hand with the company’s mission to create an artistic home for those who share our vision of an inclusive, expansive, and innovative global theatre.

Of course, the greatest gift of all has been the people. If you are looking for a vision of the future that centers our shared humanity and all the wonder and hope it can offer; if you seek a true model for collaborations that advance with integrity and compassion, I promise you it is here. The fleet and passionate staff and board that has assembled under PlayCo’s aegis is world-class, and comes to the table every day not for prestige or profit, but powerfully for the love of the art that we all share. Many of the artists we have produced and developed are, like me, changed forever here, and have become my dearest friends and collaborators. Our donors and community partners are among the greatest and most dedicated supporters of this company, and it has been my absolute pleasure to get to know every single one of you. Whether you’ve been with us for the past 25 years or are just discovering us for the first time, I know that with the community of people here, the great work will continue. Please continue to lend your support to Kate, Rob, Carolina, Sher Jamal, Olivia, Mieko, and all who make PlayCo an extraordinary part of the fabric of our home.

I will finish this letter with a sentiment shared with us by playwright, advocate, and educator Ebru Nihan Celkin, whose play Will You Come With Me? was the first in-person play we produced after we emerged from shelter-in-place. She considers the theatre to be a “place of encounters”, where people from everywhere and all walks of life can come and see one another clearly. And so I look forward to encountering you again very soon, if not in New York, then somewhere in this beautiful wide world.

With greatest love and respect,

Annie