I was recently introduced to a festival created here in NYC that I knew NOTHING about which is strange. I am not saying that I know all things theatre. I do, though, know about the arts festivals in my hometown. Sometimes art is so underground that we miss it before our very eyes. The Downtown Urban Arts Festival (“DUAF”) is currently running at a few locations (HERE, Joe’s Pub, The Tribeca Film Festival). 
Reg E. Gaines is a Grammy-nominated poet (Please Don’t Take My Air Jordans), Tony-nominated writer (Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk) and artistic director of the DUAF.
Malini: I love this statement: DUAF treats New Yorkers, East Coasters and tourists to the best of new groundbreaking theater and film created by writers and filmmakers from across the country.
This is exactly what makes me proud to be a New Yorker and an artist. As a major contributor to our independent theatre scene, what was the moment when you said to yourself that this is what’s missing?
Reg: The night I read Keelay Gipson’s, “N – – – – R, F – – – – T!” The title shook me to my senses. The play was far better than anything I’d read in the seven previous years. I immediately called Keelay and begged him to change the title. He refused. Marc Newell put a lot on the line to get the play in front of an audience. It was one of the most memorable evening’s I’ve spent in the theater listening to the stark realities of racism and homophobia in such a combustible but beautiful manner. I read the play, felt it’s power and raw rage, and helped to make sure it was heard because that story was missing.
Malini: What challenges do you face with running a festival and how do you overcome them (especially with various genres)?
Reg: Economics. Playwrights could care less about creating low risk investments for producers. But so many brilliant texts wind up in the trash because they can never be staged. We give playwrights the opportunity to practice creating art which might recoup, might be hits. You must attack the problem of no funds head on. Efficiency is key in 21st century theater. Storytelling is the heart and soul of theater. Low risk investment is how it survives.
DOWNTOWN URBAN ARTS FESTIVAL In 2001, DUTF was founded with the purpose to build a repertoire of new American theatre that echoes the true spirit of urban life and speaks to a whole new generation whose lives defy categorizing along conventional lines. That purpose has been realized many times over, as more than 100 writers have created and refined their work for the stage and thousands of inspired audience members have applauded their performances. DUTF inaugurated the festival in 2002 at HERE in SoHo to help revitalize the NYC downtown arts scene, which, at the time, was experiencing a severe downturn due to the WTC disaster. It has been recognized as “one of the world’s best festivals for new works” and described as “not only prestigious, but a slice of heaven for playwrights who want the chance to freely express themselves.” (Lisa Mulcahy, Theater Festivals, Allworth Press, 2005)