Good letter and a job well done, Chief! I hope you are doing well. Keep up the good work.
Let me begin with a disclaimer: I was a cast member in the recent Augusta Players' production of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods at the historic Imperial Theatre. Granted the rare privilege to work behind the scenes, I was awed and amazed at the high level of talent, dedication and professionalism of both cast and crew of this extraordinary production.
The cast and most of the production staff are unpaid volunteers who chose to give of their time and talent to bring quality live entertainment to the Augusta area. Many of these fine people could easily be working in Atlanta or New York (in fact, some have). We are truly blessed to have such wonderful talent among us.
Look, there's nothing wrong with seeing the occasional Mamma Mia! or other show at the Bell Auditorium when they come around, and we should support the arts in whatever form when we have the opportunity to do so. Frankly, however, I would place the performance and production value of Into the Woods alongside the best of those "Broadway in Augusta" shows.
The Augusta area is loaded with arts organizations that deliver high-quality entertainment and they right here in our back yards. They deserve our support. From the Players' Youth Theater and Artreach programs to the Augusta Symphony; from the Augusta Ballet to the Augusta Choral Society; from Augusta State University, Paine College and the University of South Carolina Aiken theater and music programs to local venues such as Le Chat Noir and the Aiken Community Playhouse; the opportunities to enjoy and support local talent are rich and abundant.
Thank you to the Augusta Players and their generous private and corporate sponsors for making such incredible entertainment available in the CSRA. And for those of you who missed Into the Woods, I only wish I could turn back the clock so you could have another chance to catch this first-rate show. As it is, though, don't wait to get your tickets for the Players' next production, Peter Pan, May 1-3.
John Peery
Evans
Comments
Good letter and a job well done, Chief! I hope you are doing well. Keep up the good work.
It's a shame that so much of the arts community is struggling. Millions are spent on soccer and softball fields in the name of "recreation" with only a pittance going to the arts.
"we should support the arts in whatever form when we have the opportunity to do so". I suppose that art, like beauty, is in the eye (or ear)of the beholder. While I would support most artistic endaevors if I knew that a portion of my support would go to promoters of R&B music and worse Rap crap I would withdraw that support immediately.
And mgoothand your last few lines about R&B and Rap is probably why the arts suffer in Augusta and will continue to suffer. As much as you hate R&B and Rap Crap it's still art might not be to you and your liking. Some of us have stuff in our EYES that hinders us from different things in life when it comes to art. The LTE writer forgot to mention the Augusta Mini theatre, the Laney Black History Museum of Art, would you donate to them? Drive down to one of those and donate some time/money.
jackfruit, throughout the history of art there have always been shysters that have corrupted a particular form of that art. Rap is no exception. Few days go by that some up-and-coming Rap "artist" is not arrested and jailed for mostly violent crimes. Rap glorifies violence, bad language and misogynistic behavior. I would/could not support that with my funds. I grew up in the 50's and 60's when black singers, instrumentalists and groups were correctly identified as artists. Sure, times changed and today there are many black artists that richly deserve that moniker but I do not know of any Rap "artists" among them.
mgroothand.... what does your hate for hip hop have to do with supporting the arts groups in augusta?
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