Dear Friends,
Roots and wings, my father used to say, roots and wings…
What did those words mean to him and what do they mean to me now? Everything, it turns out. I’ll try to explain:
I thought I knew all there was to know about Young Playwrights Inc.
That it had been launched by Stephen Sondheim in 1981 and for twenty-seven years has been there for anyone 18 and under who writes a script, licks a stamp, then crosses their fingers.
That two decades ago I was one of those writers, nervously pacing a cramped New York theatre lobby, listening to actors say my lines, the audience reactions and the thunder of my heart.
That YPI taught me skills I would use for the rest of my life in what was the shortest, happiest, most effective education I ever received.
That when I joined YPI’s board in 2006 I saw my history was just one of many, a brushstroke on a huge, ever-evolving canvas.
But after I became a father last year, there was something else, something I’d never seen before.
You’re never more vulnerable to the world’s violent indifference than when you hold your child. Headlines feel like assaults on your peace of mind and their future.
At the same time, you learn the power of consistent, loving action. Reading my son David a story at night, having Cheerios with him every morning or holding on – not too tight – as he takes his first steps won’t make the world any safer but will, I hope, make him better prepared for it.
Young Playwrights Inc. makes exactly that kind of crucial difference in thousands of lives. Like caring, wise, reliable parents, they set high standards that don’t change, acknowledge the world’s volatility, ignore its facile trends, sadly shoulder past the near-extinction of school arts programs, and all the while:
Ignite imagination, inspire confidence, and give stage to voices that soar.
Roots and wings, my father used to say, are what a parent gives a child. Those he gave me are the kind a father gives a son, the kind I want to pass onto David.
In founding Young Playwrights Inc., Stephen Sondheim gave me the roots and wings a teacher gives a student, the kind I want to pass onto whoever might be bent over a desk right now, head low, heart on the horizon, dreaming in ink and out loud.
In this year of sweeping social, economic, and political change, many worthy causes will vie for your time and money. I’d consider it a personal favor if you’d let this quietly spectacular organization be one of them.
Thank you,
John McNamara
(Writer, Producer, and Young Playwrights Inc. Board Member and Alum)
