From PLAYWRIGHT RICK ELICE November  2011  Dear Friends of NYTW, For this New Yorker, home is where the art is.  The state of the arts in our city is nowhere more vibrant than in the hearts and minds of its practitioners.  And many of our most fertile hearts and minds find a home at New York Theatre Workshop.  Neither rain nor stock market dips nor funding challenges stops NYTW from delivering for us year in, year out.  Just as we can count on gravity without dropping a hammer on our toes, we can depend on certain immutable laws of life in our fair city.  The subway is the best way to get around.  The rain falls only when you’ve forgotten your umbrella.  And every NYTW season will be rare, insightful, stirring, provocative and compelling.  Take last season’s offerings. Chris Kompanek of The Huffington Post called Ivo van Hove’s production of The Little Foxes “an absolute masterpiece.”  Michael Feingold of the Village Voice said Three Pianos “is as improbable as it is delightful.” David Cote of Time Out New York called The Shaggs “a captivating and bravely weird oddball-underdog odyssey.”  And my own personal favorite, Peter and the Starcatcher, flapped the unflappable Ben Brantley of The New York Times: “With a breathless air of adventure and a cocky confidence in its powers to enchant, this show never stops flying.” What’s on deck this season?  Elevator Repair Service and director John Collins presented the final chapter in their trilogy of classic American literature with Hemingway’s tale of expatriates in The Select (The Sun Also Rises).  Next up, the team that brought Black Watch to life joins forces again for Once, a new musical based on the Academy Award-winning independent film about the nature of collaboration and romantic entanglements on the streets of Dublin.  Then, NYTW presents An Iliad, a sprawling new work by Denis O’Hare and Lisa Peterson, based on Homer’s epic poem and starring Tony Award winners O’Hare and Stephen Spinella.  And finally, NYTW teams up with Company-in-Residence Noor Theatre to cap the season with Food and Fadwa, a compelling look at life in Bethlehem through the eyes of a 30-year-old Palestinian woman celebrated for her delectable meals. Behind the scenes, NYTW connects with nearly 1,800 artists through a full range of Artist’s Workshop programs, fostering collaboration, growth and exploration for theatre makers at all stages of their careers.  Offering free access to rehearsal space, reading series and summer residencies, the Workshop provides continuous support for the 480 members of its Usual Suspects community.  With Learning Workshop, Internships and Mind the Gap, plus free seminars and post-show talk-backs, NYTW’s Education Initiatives stay relevant, vital and at the vanguard of the city’s theatrical life.  That’s why I feel a special connection with NYTW.  Which is why I’ve always come back over the years – not just to watch plays, but to connect with the rest of the audience, in the lobby, on the sidewalk, talking to the actors, talking to each other, offering praise, ideas, and criticisms as we argue the plays right back up after the curtain comes down.  The Workshop feels like home.  The audience feels like family. And we give like family, too.  We know that box office revenue doesn’t begin to cover the cost of these productions and programs.  We dig deep again and again, to feel part of something larger than ourselves.  And we’ll be part of it again this season, watching new stories unfold, new ideas take flight, and lifting each other up to fly – at the most exhilarating theatre in town.   See you there! Rick Elice, Playwright, Peter and the Starcatcher   P.S.  Please make the most generous gift that you can to New York Theatre Workshop’s 2011 Annual Fund.   79 East 4th Street  New York, NY 10003    212-780-9037  Ticket Central: 212-279-4200   www.nytw.org