From: Benjamin Moore, Managing Director, Seattle Repertory Theatre
[ website ]
September 25, 2006
Skip Rowley
Chairman of the Board
Performing Arts Center Eastside (PACE)
PO Box 828
Bellevue, WA 98004
Dear Skip:
Please accept this letter as an expression of support for the Performing Arts Center Eastside. As an arts manager who has resided and worked in Seattle for the past two decades, I am well acquainted with the impulse and ambition to create a performance venue long contemplated for Bellevue and the residents of the Eastside. The prospective opportunities presented by PACE will round out the landscape for performing arts in the Puget Sound Region.
My work as the managing director of the Seattle Repertory Theatre since 1985 and the rich relations that I have enjoyed with my peers in the performing arts have reinforced my belief that the vitality of any region relies upon a vibrant arts community and that a healthy arts ecology depends upon strong leadership and a willingness to develop and sustain collaborative connections between and among all the players. It is in this spirit that I am pleased to endorse the establishment of a world class facility that will attract professional performing arts to the Eastside.
My enthusiasm for this enterprise is mildly tempered by the challenge that Seattle Repertory Theatres faces when contemplating taking its shows on the road, even to a venue as attractive and proximate as a world-class facility in Bellevue. The economics of moving the art form of theatre from a resident producing facility such as ours have been historically adverse, if not prohibitive. Having had some success with national and international touring during my years as a theatre producer in San Francisco, I attempted a touring program for Seattle Rep in the late 80s which had to be suspended.
However, I recognize the demand that PACE will serve for Eastside residents and I know this new facility will help to encourage more attendance for live entertainment, which in turn will serve the ultimate interests of all performing arts organizations throughout the region. And I will hold out a healthy hope that the opportunity for Seattle Rep to engage in a mutually beneficial producing partnership with PACE will present itself.
With best wishes for every success with this venture,
Benjamin Moore
Managing Director