Herald needs to assign reporter to arts, entertainment news
Published 1:30 am Sunday, February 27, 2022
As an artistic director for a small theatre company, I am one of three in its leadership who manage and scramble and problem-solve and duct-tape what we need to provide high-quality theatrical productions to our community; ones we can be proud of.
It isn’t easy. There’s usually a minimum eight-to-12-week commitment of meetings, casting, set building, lighting design, costume, props, rehearsals and performances. Often the people who take on these challenges are full-time workers who donate their time and energy because of their passions. But these creative, hard-working, committed humans deserve compensation for their craft. They deserve to have warm bodies in the seats.
But it is impossible to have one without the other. One of the strongest ways to ensure both is to have coverage from the local press. The press, as they’ve done for centuries before us, aid the theater people by reporting the news of the arts in their community. The review of a show will generate a curiosity about a production, meaning more ticket sales. More ticket sales means more art.
And studies show that exposing our community to theater enhances literary knowledge, tolerance, empathy, reduces stress, and provides a sense of belonging.
I sincerely hope that The Daily Herald is going to maintain its civic responsibility with a cultural presence in their newspaper by hiring a reporter dedicated to arts (of all kinds). Because, the theater community’s productions are news; the actors and designers and the magic that they create from nothing is news. And you have a dedicated following that will benefit from the reporting of it. I’m praying that a recent letter is wrong in stating that you’re not going to hire an arts and entertainment writer, but I’m also sadly aware of the newspaper’s decisions to prioritize profits over delivering news. Please give us hope. Please support the community by hiring an arts and entertainment reporter.
Cindy Giese French
Kenmore
