The Doric Wilson Emerging Playwright Award was founded by Daniel Talbott, with Mark Finley and Kathleen Warnock. Daniel, the Artistic Director of Rising Phoenix Rep, developed a friendship with Doric, who very much admired Talbott's play, "Slipping." After Doric passed away, Talbott called together other theatermakers who were friends of Doric, and indie theater stalwarts.
The first meeting took place on a bench in Madison Square Park, and also included producer Jennifer Conley Darling and director/playwright Julie Kline. We first determined that the award should be for an Independent Playwright, not an "emerging one," and we began to put the idea in motion, discussing what qualities the playwright should have, and how to nominate them. The idea was to honor playwrights whose work and career are in the spirit of Doric Wilson, which has evolved into the current qualifications: a playwright of any age, whose work is mostly produced in the independent theater, who is also a community builder.
We made a list of potential nominees whose work fulfilled those requirements, and solicited other indie theater makers for their recommendations. Wanting to keep the application as simple as possible, we asked playwrights to submit a play, a bio or resume, and an artistic statement about their work and mission in the theater.
As we read the applications, and discussed the nominees, the picture of what a Doric Wilson Emerging Playwright Award winner began to take form. Our first winner, Donnetta Lavinia Grays, had given TOSOS her play, "The B Factor," which we presented as part of our Robert Chesley/Jane Chambers Playwrights Project. After the reading, Donnetta was talking with Doric and said: I don't know if I am a real playwright. And Doric all but grabbed her by the shoulders (maybe he did...I was there, but it was a long time ago) and said: YOU ARE A PLAYWRIGHT. DON'T EVER FORGET THAT. Donnetta's career attests to the fact that she followed Doric's advice.
All winners of the award are asked to join the judging committee. Some of them have continued since they joined the committee; others have moved (out of town, mostly), and on to different phases of their own careers. All of them will be warmly remembered, and judges can take a year off if they aren't available, and come back again when they are.
Founding judges Finley and Talbott no longer sit on the judging committee, but are available whenever they are needed for support, guidance and tie-breaking (and yes, that has happened.)
Emeritus Members of the Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award Committee
Jennifer Conley Darling, Julie Kline, Jack MacCarthy