Julie Salamon Quote
The Playwrights Unit offered writers an alternative to Broadway, where the financial stakes were high and led to creative decisions that weren’t necessarily based on artistic considerations. At the Unit money didn’t matter, because there wasn’t any. Audiences came to see works in progress by new playwrights, some destined for obscurity, others for fame. Among those in the latter category were Sam Shepard, Adrienne Kennedy, Lanford Wilson, and John Guare. Moss introduced every play, explaining that the work shouldn’t be judged as a finished product and that the audience reaction was part of the process. I wasn’t apologizing, he said, just trying to set a lens through which people could look at the plays.
The Playwrights Unit offered writers an alternative to Broadway, where the financial stakes were high and led to creative decisions that weren’t necessarily based on artistic considerations. At the Unit money didn’t matter, because there wasn’t any. Audiences came to see works in progress by new playwrights, some destined for obscurity, others for fame. Among those in the latter category were Sam Shepard, Adrienne Kennedy, Lanford Wilson, and John Guare. Moss introduced every play, explaining that the work shouldn’t be judged as a finished product and that the audience reaction was part of the process. I wasn’t apologizing, he said, just trying to set a lens through which people could look at the plays.