VIDEO: Playwrights' Arena Presents The Voices Of Local Playwrights Wishing They Are “Close To You”

Playwrights' Arena - the first and oldest theater dedicated to discovering, nurturing, and producing original works written exclusively by Los Angeles playwrights - joins all theaters as it anticipate the safe return of its audiences inside its venues.

For this reason, Artistic Director Jon Lawrence Rivera, solicited the help of many playwrights who have been produced by Playwrights' Arena to create a video that reflects its desire to be "close to you." Playwright/composer Howard Ho, who created additional lyrics and edited the short video, was also recruited. But there were some arm twisting to get the playwrights to agree.

Playwrights, traditionally, want to stay in the background. Their art is the written word, not performing. Rivera had to remind the playwrights that they are not doing the video because they will become the next American Idol. Rivera said he "could have asked 20 professional singers to create the video. But the heart of Playwrights' Arena is our playwrights. I want that conveyed in the video."

The "Close To You" video is a heartfelt, genuine desire of our playwrights to be together again.

The Los Angeles based playwrights who joined forces to sing in the video include: Luis Alfaro, Boni B. Alvarez, Diana Burbano, Paula Cizmar, Cory Hinkle, Howard Ho, Velina Hasu Houston, Tom Jacobson, Donald Jolly, Mary Lyon Kamitaki, Michael Kearns, Annette Lee, Jennifer Maisel, Oliver Mayer, Steven Leigh Morris, Laurel Ollstein, Julie Taiwo Oni, Michael Premsrirat, and Nick Salamone.

For more information on Playwrights' Arena go to www.playwrightsarena.org