City money would be put to good use

A July 10 editorial argued that the city of Everett has better things to do with its space and money than help build a theater for the (by their admission) popular Kidstage program. What the editorial seemed to miss is how much this program means to children of all ages, and how the existing facilities are far from adequate.

As a full-blooded Kidstage kid, I could not imagine a life without this program. And according to the city of Everett budget, there are currently 900 kids, ages 3-20, who participate in Kidstage. It is not only classes and shows, it is a community that we build. It’s not theater for kids, it’s theater made by kids.

The facilities we use are shared with the Village Theatre Mainstage, the Pied Piper Program and any group that rents the space. As such, Kidstage has to constantly juggle space, trying to find when and where we can use the building. We are frequently shoe-horned into a space that is far too small and does not fit our needs. We dance on floors that in the long end are a health risk.

This new building would give the program plenty of room to spread out and really reach its full potential. Think about it — 900 kids is the size of an average middle school. Government has no problem spending more than a million dollars on a school, so why not spend just one million on a community that thrives year-round, for a person’s entire lifetime?

Dylan Pickus