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"I'm a theatre professional for over 30 years, having worked coast to coast before relocating here in 2004. I applaud the local theatres for their commitment to the art and craft of theatre. I moved here from New York City to take a job with Tulsa Opera, and have been impressed by the variety and quality of the performing arts and artists in Tulsa. It is odd that we don't have an Equity theatre, but just being Equity doesn't itself denote "professional", so I see no reason for Equity contracts to be the defining factor. (I do take issue with Mr. Crawford's explanation of Actor's Equity.It is not an "actor's union". Actor's Equity Association is one of the oldest labor unions in the American labor rights movement, formed in 1913, and represents actors and stage managers. Its purpose is clearly defined to represent those two distinct groups, not one, and was formed in response to abusive labor issues in early theatrical organizations such as Vaudeville). I grew up in Portland, Maine and was the Production Stage Manager for a professional repertory company called Mad Horse Theatre company that was non-union, very well respected and competed directly with the larger Equity theatre in town. In my opinion, the fact that the theatre artists in Tulsa continue to spawn new organizations that are just a shade different from each other leads to a confusion from the potential audience. They do not each have a clear identity--in the arts, we often define that as your "mission." In Maine, the reason Mad Horse was successful was that we had a clearly defined mission that we adhered to at the core level of our organization. Finally, in my opinion several of the companies are not connecting substantially with the community to really validate the existence of yet another company. The best and most successful organizations, whether its purpose is for theatre, social services or retail have a clear connection with a community with whom they seek to interact. In retail, you define the customer and seek them out with quality products. In theatre, the company needs to produce work that is somehow relevant to or speaks to the needs of the community. Tulsa Symphony is an excellent example. The former Philharmonic's demise led the brilliant and dedicated musicians to determine that the new organization needed to have a well formed commitment to the community in order to establish purpose and they did just that. Theatre is often considered a luxury item that is expendable in times of financial crisis. However Tulsa Opera's Artistic Director Kostis Protopapas speaks beautifully when he says "The theatre should be a place of refuge in difficult times". If the theatre community in Tulsa is to claim pride of place in the hearts of our city, it needs to speak clearly to the audience--not looking down one's nose at an audience who may not grab the hook of a hit play. Only by remaining relevant and purposeful to the audience and speaking to the needs of our community will theatre in Tulsa become the jewel in the crown it truly deserves to be."
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