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Went to a great meeting late yesterday with our regional representative from the Dramatists Guild of America: Tammy Ryan. She was pretty enthusiastic about her experience and what the DG meant to her and her region, which was Pittsburgh and most of the rest of Pennsylvania. The only down side is the recognition that New Yorkers somehow still consider the Midwest as some strange amalgam of people who are, for all intents, the same. I say this because someone’s wisdom was to lump Ohio into the same region as Pittsburgh; as well to provide Philadelphia with a region and stuff the rest of Pennsylvania into a Pittsburgh region. Frankly, it’s a far stretch to believe that Cleveland should represent the whole state of Ohio (and there weren’t many at the meeting who disagree with that–and there was one person from Columbus and one from Cincinnati); but the point is only more acutely made: not only is it a stretch to think of Cleveland representing all of Ohio; how much more odd to think of the Pittsburgh region representing all of Ohio?

The meeting was great, though, and I came away pretty fired up; as I think, did others. There were quite a few people represented, too, including Seth Gordon and many from the Playwright’s Unit, including Eric Coble, Eric Schmiedl, Faye Sholiton, David Hansen, Margaret Lynch; there was also Linda Eisenstein, Mike Geither, and several of the NEOMFA students.

It was a revealing meeting in that many opportunities of which I was unaware were revealed, and so, I learned that more opportunities existed in Cleveland. Also, from Ms. Ryan’s reaction, I came to understand that the Cleveland scene is pretty fortunate, developed, and cohesive. I also came away understanding that there will soon be more cohesion, as we will shortly be forming a regional unit ourselves. Cleveland has a lot going for it when it comes to theater, and soon the rest of the country will come to see it as well; just like Chicago in the eighties and early nineties.

On another note, Eric Coble’s new play is opening this weekend and I look forward to seeing it.

It was upsetting to read in the Plain Dealer this morning that Bang and Clatter was shutting its doors–and not just in Cleveland, but also the Akron location: their last performance (Lady, by Craig Wright) is scheduled for September 25 – October 17 in Akron.

At times like these my guilt at not being able to see more theater hits dreadfully hard. I get to convergence regularly and CPT when I can. We’re lucky in Cleveland to be able to say that there’s plenty of theater to choose from–and good theater. Not crappy stuff like “Death in the Wings” a murder comedy or some shit like that, but real, heart-thumping, brain-splitting, in-your-face theater. And that’s what’s hard to swallow about this, especially knowing that these two guys put everything they had into it. Sean McConaha words are especially cutting: “Not only was this our dream, but now we’re penniless.”

The weight of carrying debt from two locations (one on East 4th) took its toll according to the article and the economy, as most of us know, did it’s part too.

Being attached as I am to convergence, as well as having a spot in my heart for CPT, I was always watchful of what Bang and Clatter was doing and was wary of what they could do. Their schedule was relentless, the plays they brought in were excellent, the location they had downtown was perfect, and the ambition of their founders was like their schedule–and I took it for granted that they would be a rising powerhouse in Cleveland theater. I was at once exhilarated and frightened for the other theaters.

At the same time, though, as I mentioned above, we should never look a gift horse in the mouth and think that we have too much theater–we’re lucky here and bits of our luck have been running out recently. It is never welcome news to hear that a theater closed its doors, especially one driven by two men who put everything on the line to see it succeed.