This has been such an amazing evening. Thank you so much to the Exile

Community, Deborah, Denise, and Brett for making it happen. It means

a great deal to me to be recognized by such an imaginative and

dedicated group of theater lovers.

I’m standing here tonight because of the partnerships I have enjoyed

on this twenty-year journey, with the wise and delightful Maggi Kirk at

the Philadelphia Foundation and with the many wonderful souls who

have moved through the Brown Martin, now more descriptively

renamed, the Social Insight Award Committee, some of whom are here

tonight. Thank you, Brett, Jay, Mark, Chris, and Quinn for coming. But

really everyone here should congratulate themselves because, by

creating, attending and supporting theatre, you make the world a more

empathetic place. The stories we experience broaden our world view

and deepen our understanding of everyone with whom we interact,

from our children, parents, partners, and coworkers to someone we

meet for the first time.

It is simply not enough to know what people think; we need to know

why they think it. Good writers, directors and actors give us access to

the “why”, the back stories that clarify behaviors and reactions that

may be alien to us. They make us realize that the stories we’ve been

telling ourselves about people or situations may have been far from

accurate, and that, perhaps, even our cozy social bubbles – and we all

have them - could use a refresher course.

So, as we leave here tonight, let’s be comfortable with not needing to

have the last word. Why, in a world of 8 billion people, would we ever

think we should be so entitled? If you’re feeling anxious about a world

prone to blind intractability and unproductive partisanship, if tossing

people into categories with predetermined sets of characteristics is not

your thing, and you’d prefer to be part of a future where honesty,

kindness, reverence and respect for the dignity of every human being

might be the norm, don’t check out, check in at your local theatre. Buy

a ticket for a friend, better yet buy a ticket for someone who is not yet

your friend, and know that you are making all of our lives better by

living what you learn.