About Us

LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT:

Playwrights’ Arena is located in the ancestral lands of the Tongva, the Tataviam and the Chumash. We acknowledge them as the first peoples of this land on which we live and work.

OUR MISSION:

Playwrights’ Arena, under the leadership of artistic director Jon Lawrence Rivera, is dedicated to discovering, nurturing and producing bold new works for the stage written exclusively by Los Angeles playwrights.

Playwrights’ Arena develops new materials through several series of readings, workshops and round table discussions.

Local playwrights are encouraged to create original, adventurous, daring materials with the intent of challenging the mind, touching the heart and provoking the spirit.

Playwrights Arena was founded in 1992 by Jon Lawrence Rivera and Steve Tyler.

OUR VISION:

Playwrights’ Arena will be an incubator for a re-imagined, more inclusive theatrical canon by generating and presenting new works for the stage, and by serving as a catalyst for the next generation of theatre supporters and creators through our artistic education programs.

OUR VALUE STATEMENT:

Playwrights’ Arena is first and foremost dedicated to diversity and inclusivity: among its writers and artists, its management, its board, its audiences, and also among the points of view of the works it develops and produces. All voices are heard, valued and respected.

Playwrights’ Arena encourages experimentation with work that pushes boundaries in theme and content, and that provides a thought-provoking experience for the audience and performers alike.

Playwrights’ Arena is dedicated to using its resources and talents to educate and inspire students through a strong mentoring/educational component where ideas flow both ways.