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Matthew Freeman is a Brooklyn based playwright with a BFA from Emerson College. His plays include THE DEATH OF KING ARTHUR, REASONS FOR MOVING, THE GREAT ESCAPE, THE AMERICANS, THE WHITE SWALLOW, AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR, THE MOST WONDERFUL LOVE, WHEN IS A CLOCK, GLEE CLUB, THAT OLD SOFT SHOE and BRANDYWINE DISTILLERY FIRE. He served as Assistant Producer and Senior Writer for the live webcast from Times Square on New Year's Eve 2010-2012. As a freelance writer, he has contributed to Gamespy, Premiere, Complex Magazine, Maxim Online, and MTV Magazine. His plays have been published by Playscripts, Inc., New York Theatre Experience, and Samuel French.

Friday, April 01, 2011

A great solution

I think I have a good solution to the question of how to ensure that we distribute playwriting dollars to those who need them. Basically, there’s an epidemic of good playwrights who use New York success to move them into the LA screenwriting scene. I think this creates a sort of feedback loop, wherein New York success leads to LA dollars that leads back to New York success (the triumphant return of the screenwriter to the grateful city.) We need to move these dollars out of the cycle, and get cash to Montana, to Nebraska, to Wyoming, to Arkansas, to Vermont, to Mississippi. Therefore, maybe all professional royalties in Los Angeles for original or licensed scripts should pay fees into a trust. Not the NEA, but a trust or foundation organized for those purpose. Then, someone, perhaps a Chairperson, at the trust could take in those fees and determine where underserved communities are in the most need. That way, wealthy playwrights would be funneling their own success back into the market.

What do you think?

1 comment:

Aaron Riccio said...

Nah, I've a better idea.

All playwrights receive ideal living financing out of literary stipends . . . definitely also yachts.