I'm a playwright who lives in LA. That used to be a rare thing - to be a guy who came from New York who was in LA trying to break into TV and film. It's not so rare nowadays. Nowadays, it seems like everyone has flown the coop and headed West. The great thing about having more playwrights and theatre artists out here is that there's the opportunity for community. I have been a member of the Playwrights Union, a local organization for LA-based playwrights.
Through this group, I have met many people who now encompass my social circle. A couple of years ago, I formed this informal male writer social group including my friends Cory and David. We used to meet up monthly at my office in Silverlake. When I left that office, we decided to get together for drinks every couple of months. Last night, we got together again at Edendale in Silverlake - the place we like to meet up at. It's usually not that busy and it's easy to find parking. Besides, we're not there to check out the hot spots, we're there to catch up. Our friend Dominic is a recent addition to this group.
We've had some women friends who have inquired about meeting up with us and that seems like it would be fun as a separate meet up. But I do like having this group of dude writers I see every so often. We also meet up separately to write together and to catch up on the phone. I would say that Cory and David are two of my closest friends. Dominic is a recent transplant who moved out here for a TV gig and we've become great friends as well. All of them are incredibly talented, they're smart guys, they make me feel smarter when I'm with them and definitely supported. I appreciate that I've got friends who want to hang out with us and meet up with us for drinks, but for me, this group hits a bit deeper than just being a social group.
It's a lifeline. It started out as a social group - I invited a lot of people to my office to come write with me when I had it. My former office mate, his husband, Cory, David and I initially met up to talk about our struggles as writers and what we're working on. We created it as a deliberate attempt to create community and to come together as men. Then when the group shrank and moved to Edendale, we would talk about family and work and the things we're working on. Especially when it became the three of us, it felt like a closer knit situation. Cory, David and I share work with each other and give each other feedback. We're all apart of the Playwrights Group and the Chalk Rep Writers Group, along with Dominic. I think that we found that we like exchanging information and work with each other. It has now become about trust.
Dominic and I both got to the bar before the others. We had a great conversation about our experiences being on our first TV shows. Our experiences were a lot different in terms of how our rooms were put together. But that feeling of trying to navigate the room and going to set - I felt understood. It was fantastic to have that conversation with a friend who was experiencing that newness at the same time. Then Cory got there and we talked about the fact that he's a writing machine. He has written - or is in the process of writing - three plays this year. I'm absolutely blown away by that. Cory has brought in new pages to the writer's group and everything I'm hearing I'm loving. I just went to a reading of a play we wrote two years ago and I loved that. He had another reading of another play earlier this year. He's on a fucking roll, that guy. And that inspires me. I don't feel competitive at all with these guys. My relationship with David is different. He's like the Jewish younger brother I wish I had. He's so effusive and emotional and transparent - I love that quality in a person. I could talk to that guy for hours and hours and always have stuff to talk about. Maybe the four of us need to plan a guy's weekend where we get away and write and drink and hang out. Like a writer bro retreat. I'm kind of into that idea.
I know what whatever I need read, one or more of them will read in a pinch. Because I've done the same for them. If I need them to show up for me, they will because I have shown up for them. I can see how other people might want to get in on that action. We're like a little trio - and now, quartet. I trust them to give me their honest opinion. I like all of their writing. I know that whatever they have to say about my work is an honest accessment and also has the desire of wanting me to fulfill the promise of the play or pilot I'm working on.
Dominic's working on a novel. I can't wait to read that.
Cory just sent me a new play that he just finished. I can't wait to read that.
David's working on a new play that I'm really into. I can't wait to read that.
I hope that we can get some of that new work into the writer's group and that we can hear these plays in their entirety read out loud. I want to support this new work I'm hearing because it's really good. Yes, all of these guys are white cis males. I want there to be a world where I'm supporting new plays by women and writers of color. I want to get excited about the work I'm seeing - from a lot of various perspectives. But right now, this is the stuff that's exciting me. These are the friendships that turn into working relationships. Eventually, I'm going to put a room together and I'm going to want to have people whose work I believe in and who I support as people. I'm going to want to have people around me who I want to spend time with. And I hope, in turn, they're going to want to do the same for me when they're in the same position.
My intention is to finish this pilot before the weekend.
My intention is to rewrite the pilot over the weekend.
My intention is to turn it into my manager early next week.
My intention is to be on set next week.
My intention is to learn everything I can.
My intention is to enjoy it.
I am grateful for the community of writers I have created over the past five years.
I am grateful for the positive change my life has taken over the past five years.
I am grateful for people who believe in me.
I am grateful for the support and love I feel from those three guys.
I am grateful to call these talented guys my compadres.
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