Dear Group friends:
I am very happy to tell you we have four applicants from the U.S. for Young Critics seminars in Asia and Europe. They are:
Seoul, Korea: Randy Gener and Gwen Orel
Vilnius, Lithuania: Philip Stephenson
Charleville-Mezieres, France: Lauren Snyder
The applications have been sent to the seminar honcho, Margareta Sorenson, in Sweden and we should hear back soon about which of our number will be whipping out their passports. I'll let you know.
Those of you who have been on vacation or out in the backyard might have missed the dolorous news this week that Lloyd Richards passed away on his very birthday, at what might have been 87 years of age. (Lloyd always was very cagey about birthdates and other nonsense.) He for years was a formidable presence among us at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, among others as head of the Yale Drama School, and on Broadway as the discoverer, patron and sensitive stage director of August Wilson. Over a 30-plus-years acquaintanceship with Lloyd, I always felt he never loved critics a whole lot, but he was encouraging to us at the O'Neill and worked with Ernie Schier and Ernie's heirs to bring young critics into "the process" as acolytes and older critics as dramaturgs, back when nobody knew what the word meant. Eighty-seven is a pretty good run, but we wish he were still around to talk about every playwright he ever knew and gave a step up to.
All the best and a safe holiday week to you all,
Larry
