Rootedness: An Editor's Welcome
Dear Minnesota Playlist Community,
I want to thank you for the warm responses I have received since the recent announcement of my new role at Minnesota Playlist. I am incredibly excited to be working with and for our vibrant greater Minnesota theatrical community and I promise you I will strive (alongside, of course, our talented writers) to produce engaging and timely work for the site. Minnesota Playlist is a theatrical commons; we are valuable because you continually turn to us as a resource and I cannot wait to continue that tradition.
Embarking on this journey, I have often returned to the idea of rootedness. In an artistic landscape that esteems the peripatetic and the nomadic, I think there is something beautiful and deeply meaningful for those of us who choose to embed ourselves in a localized creative community. For so many of us here at Minnesota Playlist and for a great many of our readers, we have chosen to make Minnesota our home, with the opportunities and (perhaps?) limitations that implies. However, unimaginable strength can be derived from our common rootedness, provided we continue to reach out to one another and resist the entropy to close our ranks. Even within our local community there are schisms and -- like any group -- we are going to disagree. We are going to forge our own paths, but we can and should come back to one another with our new learnings and understandings. It is my hope that the dynamic range of our theatrical community may also be echoed in Minneosta Playlist’s offerings.
I have never been anything but a reviewer in this town -- I consider this both a blessing and a curse. It means I don’t have to worry about whether or not my writing will affect my job prospects, but it also means that I haven’t been able to grow as many organic connections as I would like. Thus, consider this note me opening myself up for more connection with you, the local theatrical community. In crafting this role, Damon and I are intent on maintaining Playlist’s place in the community, but also hopefully expanding it. Whether you have questions about the site itself and its articles, or you have ideas for content you would like to see or produce, or if you just want to continue to grow your own local connections, I am here for that. I am ready to be rooted in our theatrical community here in Minnesota, so please do not hesitate to reach out!
With my admiration for the work you do and my excitement for what is to come,
--Erin
