But he was not just a nurturer of star writers. Dramatists welcomed playwrights of all levels of accomplishment to its various classes, support groups and networks, and Tutterow was closely involved with any number of people who came through its doors. If you worked, say, at a newspaper covering theater, and were asked with some frequency about what someone should do who had written a play, or thought they had written a play, or wanted very badly to write a play, the answer was not difficult: Call Russ Tutterow. He'll figure the person out.