Editorials

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   HAVE YOUR SAY Feel strongly about something? Share it with the community by writing a letter to the editor. You’ll need to include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) We reserve the right to edit letters, but if you keep yours to 300 words or less, we won’t ask you to shorten it. If your letter is published, please wait 30 days before submitting another. Send it to: E-mail: letters@heraldnet.com Mail: Letters section The Herald P.O. Box 930 Everett, WA 98206 Fax: 425-339-3458 Have a question about letters? Contact Carol MacPherson (cmacpherson@heraldnet.com or 425-339-3472).   Published: Wednesday, May 14, 2008 Keep the curtain rising at old community gem "Applause begets applause in the theatre, as laughter begets laughter and tears beget tears." -- Clayton Hamilton "Theory of the Theatre" We join the Everett Theatre in hoping that donations will beget donations. The theater is the midst of an urgent campaign to raise $75,000 to keep the 107-year-old downtown facility running through the summer. It's a rather dramatic and sad situation, one better suited for the stage, but that's life in real world of community theater. The financial troubles reflect the expense of maintaining an aging building, and not the success of the venue, which is doing quite well and is scheduled to offer even more and varied entertainment in the future. The nonprofit theater, which is run by a part-time paid staff and volunteers, spent more than $100,000 in the last two years on maintenance, including asbestos abatement, re-routing heating vents and redoing what was a dangerous counterweight system that controls lights and sets. The theater is a vital outlet for community theater groups, provides a venue for children's workshops and shows such as the Irish Cabaret and the Women's Film Festival. The building is also used for election forums, jazz camps and gives to the battered women's shelter, among other organizations. The theater's enticing 2008-2009 season includes the Stephen Sondheim musical "Sweeney Todd," performances by the Seattle Shakespeare Theatre company, the Comedy Underground and the Missoula Theatre. The Everett Theatre is also planning to start a live music series -- the 800-seat venue appeals to many performers, according to new theater board member Ed Beeson. Exciting entertainment times indeed. Let's ensure the curtain goes up. Everett would not be Everett without the Historic Everett Theatre. The citizens of Snohomish County have an important role to play in resolving this drama and saving this community gem. Sure it's apples and oranges, but when gubernatorial candidates can raise hundreds of thousands of dollars within months in Snohomish County, surely theater lovers of all political persuasions can donate a total of $75,000 to see the theater through the summer. And perhaps there are others, say with fund-raising experience, who could lend their expertise to help the venerable theater create a reliable, annual source of donations to help maintain the facility. Losing the 107-year-old facility just isn't in the script. Saving it, however, will require several acts. To donate to Everett Theatre's "Invest in the Arts" fundraising effort, go to www.everetttheatre.org or visit the box office at 2911 Colby Ave., Everett.

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