Press Release: Playwright Jacqueline E. Lawton To Takes Part in Dramatist Guild of America Workshop

On May 4, 2014, the D.C. Regional Chapter of the Dramatist Guild of America will host Playwrights: Taking Control of Our Own Fates workshop and the Kennedy Center. Playwright Jacqueline E. Lawton will take part in the "Playwrights Raising Money" panel along with D.C. area playwrights Kathleen Akerley, Ari Roth, Gwydion Suilebhan, and Anu Yadav. Associate Executive Director of the National New Play Network and Executive/Creative Director of The Welders, Jojo Ruf will moderate.
This day-long workshop for playwrights, which is now at capacity, will cover a wide variety of subjects of critical importance to dramatists in the 21st century. After a brief welcome address, the day will include:
Agenda:
Brief Welcome (11:00 am)
Dramatists Guild's DC representative Gwydion Suilebhan
Ask the Expert: How to Fringe (11:10 am-12:00 pm)
A panel discussion, moderated by playwright Brett Abelman, on the secrets to success in Fringe festivals far and wide. Panelists will include playwrights Stephen Spotswood, Ann Fraistat, Regie Cabico, Bob Bartlett, and Laura Zam.
Lunch/Mix-and-Mingle (12:00-1:00 pm)
Social Media for Playwrights (1:00-2:00 pm)
A presentation on the essentials of social media by dramatist and leading social media expert Devon Smith.
Playwrights Raising Money (2:00-3:00 pm)
A panel discussion designed to help playwrights understand the secrets of raising money in support of their work. Moderated by Jojo Ruf (Executive/Creative Director of The Welders and Associate Executive Director of the National New Play Network), playwrights Kathleen Akerley, Jacqueline E. Lawton, Ari Roth, Gwydion Suilebhan, and Anu Yadav.
Break (3:00-3:30 pm)
Roundtable: Local Playwright Initiatives (3:30-4:30 pm)
A round-table discussion of local playwright initiatives: their models, missions, challenges, and opportunities. Participants will include Renee Calarco, Caleen Sinnette Jennings, Allyson Currin, Danielle Mohlman, and Joanna Castle Miller.
Town Hall Brainstorming (4:30-6 pm)
Discuss the fate of the DC and Baltimore playwriting community: the issues we're facing and how we'd like to address them. This should be a vital opportunity for connection, empowerment, and direction for all of us
This day-long workshop for playwrights, which is now at capacity, will cover a wide variety of subjects of critical importance to dramatists in the 21st century. After a brief welcome address, the day will include:
Agenda:
Brief Welcome (11:00 am)
Dramatists Guild's DC representative Gwydion Suilebhan
Ask the Expert: How to Fringe (11:10 am-12:00 pm)
A panel discussion, moderated by playwright Brett Abelman, on the secrets to success in Fringe festivals far and wide. Panelists will include playwrights Stephen Spotswood, Ann Fraistat, Regie Cabico, Bob Bartlett, and Laura Zam.
Lunch/Mix-and-Mingle (12:00-1:00 pm)
Social Media for Playwrights (1:00-2:00 pm)
A presentation on the essentials of social media by dramatist and leading social media expert Devon Smith.
Playwrights Raising Money (2:00-3:00 pm)
A panel discussion designed to help playwrights understand the secrets of raising money in support of their work. Moderated by Jojo Ruf (Executive/Creative Director of The Welders and Associate Executive Director of the National New Play Network), playwrights Kathleen Akerley, Jacqueline E. Lawton, Ari Roth, Gwydion Suilebhan, and Anu Yadav.
Break (3:00-3:30 pm)
Roundtable: Local Playwright Initiatives (3:30-4:30 pm)
A round-table discussion of local playwright initiatives: their models, missions, challenges, and opportunities. Participants will include Renee Calarco, Caleen Sinnette Jennings, Allyson Currin, Danielle Mohlman, and Joanna Castle Miller.
Town Hall Brainstorming (4:30-6 pm)
Discuss the fate of the DC and Baltimore playwriting community: the issues we're facing and how we'd like to address them. This should be a vital opportunity for connection, empowerment, and direction for all of us

The Dramatists Guild of America was established over eighty years ago, and is the only professional association which advances the interests of playwrights, composers, lyricists and librettists writing for the living stage. The Guild has over 6,000 members nationwide, from beginning writers to the most prominent authors represented on Broadway, Off-Broadway and in regional theaters.

JACQUELINE E. LAWTON was named one of 30 of the nation's leading black playwrights by Arena Stage’s American Voices New Play Institute. Her plays include: Anna K; Blood-bound and Tongue-tied; Deep Belly Beautiful;The Devil’s Sweet Water; The Hampton Years; Ira Aldridge: the African Roscius; Lions of Industry, Mothers of Invention; Love Brothers Serenade (2013 semi-finalist for the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference); Mad Breed; Noms de Guerre; and Our Man Beverly Snow. Ms. Lawton received her MFA in Playwriting from the University of Texas at Austin, where she was a James A. Michener Fellow. She is a 2012 TCG Young Leaders of Color award recipient, National New Play Network (NNPN) Playwright Alum, and member of Arena Stage's Playwrights' Arena. She is also a proud member of the Dramatist Guild of America.