Renee Rankin

Playwright

A few years ago, I quit my very secure job to attend graduate school where I received an MFA in creative writing. The decision to take the leap of faith wasn't an easy one, but I made it without regrets. I was able to discover my voice and, for the first time, feel confident calling myself a playwright because calling myself anything else felt like a betrayal.

Much responsibility comes with calling myself a playwright. I'm the conduit through which my characters tell their very personal stories, a responsibility I don't take lightly. Oprah Winfrey has famously said, "Everybody matters. Everybody just wants to be heard." As a playwright, I want to document the stories of the unseen and unheard. As an African American, I'm naturally drawn to African American characters, whose stories are culturally rich, delightfully unique, sometimes tragic, often bold, but always human.

I want to write plays that move people. However, I don't want my plays to only live in traditional theatre spaces and only be seen by faithful theatergoers. I want my plays to be far-reaching from the boards of Broadway to alleyways, subway platforms, and community centers. Not literally, but yes, literally. As a playwright, I want to be innovative. I want to be a theatre movement with plays that impact lives. Creates change. Quite simply, I want my plays to matter.


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