Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020 

We deeply value the health and well being of each member of our community: from our 2,200+ Playwright Members, Core Writers, Fellows, and their collaborative artists to our dedicated audience members and advocates; from our committed staff and Board to the communities in which we live and work. With the coronavirus pandemic upon us, we have determined shifting to remote operations is the best proactive and measured response to ensure the health and well-being of all. Therefore:

Playwrights’ Center has shifted to remote operations through July 6 but our work continues.

We have announced our new, online season of program offerings. You can read about it here.

Our work supporting storytellers continues, though sometimes in new and different ways. We will continue to serve our writers through grants and fellowships. Our play submission-opportunities and Playwriting Toolkit will remain online. Member open play sessions, one-on-one dramaturgy sessions, and our offerings of seminars and classes are moving solely online. We are also examining new ways to expand these classes and create greater opportunities for our artists. Additionally, we are in discussion with our partners at performing arts unions to explore alternative ways we can continue our new play development work. And we are actively in conversations with artistic leadership around the country, learning their needs, sharing our writers’ needs, and developing a path forward to bring new work to stages across this country, during this period and beyond when coronavirus is behind us.

While our mission continues, here’s what it means for our physical space in Minnesota:

THEATER AND PUBLIC SPACES

The Playwrights’ Center BUILDING is closed to the public until July 6, 2020. All public events, seminars, and classes will occur online. We will continue to monitor the situation and update this page as circumstances change. 

BUSINESS OFFICE

The Playwrights’ Center office is closed to the general public. Staff members are available by phone and online during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 9:30 am—5:30 pm. If you need to get in touch with us, please visit our staff directory here.

A Word About the Community and Artists We Serve

We also want to note that, while we do believe this is the best decision for the community we care so deeply about, we did not come to this judgment lightly. We recognize many artists do not have sick-leave they can take. Many lack healthcare coverage. Many lack child care to cover for school closures. Many will end up missing paychecks due to these closures. And some will risk their health and the health of others out of necessity. 

Part of our mission is to change that paradigm. We will continue to actively seek to keep people employed and create new opportunities for artists during this time and going forward. No matter what the future holds, we will always champion writers and their voices that will see us through this moment and lead us boldly into the future.

RESOURCES

We encourage you to stay informed and reduce the risk. We compiled a list of resources for artists that can be found here. 

We also recommend the following sites when combating COVID-19.

Minnesota Department of Health

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

World Health Organization

Springboard for the Arts COVID-19 Resources for Artists

COVID-19 Freelance Artist Resources