How do you say "You suck"?

I'm a subscriber.

I'm a Patron at MTC, and a general subscriber at Playwrights, Lincoln Center, and the Roundabout.

Correction, I was a subscriber to all of those organizations last year.

I canceled my scrip to Playwrights this season, because they were doing a Theresa Rebek play. I don't like her. In point of fact, I actively dislike her. And I get calls every other day from kids working for Playwrights, wanting me to renew. I keep saying "I can't support a theatre company that supports Rebek," but honestly, the phone sales kids don't know Rebek from Shinola.

Drawing the line is difficult. So far this season at MTC, I've suffered through both "Romantic Poetry" and "To Be Or Not To Be".

Terrible shows, both of them.

But neither was as hateful as anything Ms. Rebek has written.

Ms. Rebek recently had the nerve to write an article for a London newspaper, where she claimed that women playwrights were not given a fair shake on Broadway, due to sexual discrimination. In this article, she (incorrectly) said that only one female playwright (her) made it to Broadway last season ("Mauritius"). (Caryl Churchill made it as well).

Anyway, I say bullcrap. There are two sensational female playwrights working right now in New York: Sarah Ruhl and Lisa Loomer. Both of whom have more talent in their collective little pinkies than Ms. Rebek.

And Tina Howe has a production coming up, so there's three. (Four if Wasserstein's "Pamela" comes in.)

Ms. Rebek, there is NOT an anti-female playwright conspiracy going on.

Your plays STINK. And the reason this subscriber is not renewing at Playwrights this season has nothing to do with me disliking female playwrights, it has to do with me disliking your so-called "plays."

Answer:

Dear So and So at Bull**** Theatre Subscription Dept;

I'm cancelling my subscrip. because the first 2 plays SUCKED, thus I cringed. Period.

Sincerely,
MS/MR. ZiggyCringe

As Nancy Reagan said " JUST SAY NO "

Just for the sake of it: Rebeck.

If you feel you must write a letter, state just that: You don't support Rebeck as a playwright, and the selection of plays as of late has not been to your liking. I'm sure they'd appreciate any feedback from patrons. But everything goes through cycles, and theatre, especially for non-profits here that are subscriber-based, is about experimenting and variety; you may not like them, but we're lucky to get something besides the 100th mounting of The Music man. Next season may be more along the lines of your taste.

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Does it ever seem like being a REAL theater fan means you dislike almost everything you see?