i’ve been in new york this week for my bff’s ordination which was held tonight at judson memorial church. it was a beautiful ceremony and one which i was invited to be a part of as both an audience member and a reader. what a journey it has been for her and i could not be more overjoyed to see how relieved and ready she is to be a reverend — FINALLY.
many of the sermons (i’m not really sure if that’s the right terminology, but …) tonight revolved around transcending and transforming. this is especially relevant for d.a. who has always been the odd one out growing up in the bronx and the private school system black, womanist, poor, educated, nerdy, shy, reserved, outspoken, etc… she embodies a bevy of contradictions, but it all works to her advantage. her mother spoke about how if you’ve ever had a conversation or interaction with d.a. that you have been changed by her and i know this to be true! she is truly one who challenges and does not back down from her convictions (for better or worse!). even the reverend calvin butts praised her radicalism and openly acknowledged that she never once submitted to abyssinian’s belief system and instead stood unswayed from her own truths. when abyssinian couldn’t provide her with what she needed, she went elsewhere and ended up ordained through the ucc. she never gave up.
the ordination was a reunion of sorts with a few college friends whom i have not seen in years. one was s.j. who is now in nyc trying her hand at performing. she did the most amazing rendition of “defying gravity” and brought the house down. we talked about how difficult the performing world is and how it’s a never ending process of pounding the pavement for gigs. it reminded me of another conversation i had with my c.t. earlier this week in a hole-in-the-wall diner where she passed on some advice her commercial acting teacher gave her.
make a list of all your rejections, she said, and until you hit 50, you have no right to complain.
surprisingly, it’s not very often that anyone hits 50… success in this industry – perhaps any industry, really – is to keep trying even when you think there’s no hope left in sight.
so along this train of though, i’m sharing my first playwriting rejection letter ever. hopefully it’s #1 of nowhere-near-#50. it’ll be a good reminder of where i’m starting and how much further i’ve left to go.
Dear William,
Thank you for submitting to [the theater company’s] 10 minute play contest. We were overjoyed and overwhelmed by the volume of submissions received, and the opportunity it represents for getting to know your voice. Regrettably, we can’t offer you a production at this time. However, we do want you to know that your play was greatly adored, so much so that it was selected as a finalist.
We’re excited by the vibrancy of the Asian-American theatre as reflected in the submission pool, and if we have but one regret it’s that we can’t just buy a warehouse and give every last play its due.
The selection committee carefully reviewed all the plays (which, as you know, were submitted anonymously) and attempted to put together an ensemble of pieces that reflected a diversity of viewpoints and stories, and that fit within the range of support we could provide. This was a delicate process involving many factors of consideration – both aesthetic and practical – and while we very much enjoyed your play (and held on to it right until the very last moment), the work of creating an ensemble ultimately took precedence over our ability to champion individual plays.
Whether this is your first encounter with [the theater company] or if you are a seasoned veteran, we hope you will view this submission process as but one point of contact in an ongoing relationship. In that regard, we hope you’ll consider stopping by the show to say hi, and that you’ll keep sending us your work (short, full-length, or otherwise… but no screenplays; we don’t have the budget).
Thanks so much for sharing your work with us again, William.
All best,
[name]
Artistic Director, [the theater company]
Will Dao 