Ron Davis has a myopic view of life ("A tale of good and evil at the
Huntington Beach Playhouse," May 3.) He works in a law office and
probably enjoys a very handsome income.
I would expect a person of his status to have more compassion for
people less fortunate than himself. Most retired seniors and the young
people without his income, who love the arts, wish to be able to enjoy
them at affordable prices. This will be denied if ticket prices need to
be increased to accommodate the rent increase requested by Ron Hayden.
If the library needs more money, they should raise their income from
library patrons who pay nothing for the services. All playhouse patrons
are paying to see the productions.
The playhouse board of directors produces these plays without
compensation for their efforts. They are all volunteers as are the
actors. They do this for the love of the art, which is more than the
library director does.
The mistake was the city should have divided the theater to one group
and the library to another, and not one subservient to the other.
If Ron Davis feels the city should get more money from the buildings
it owns, why not have attorneys pay rent every time they use the
courthouse? Besides renting the theater, the playhouse must pay for the
rights to produce these plays.
The city subsidizes the beaches without charging the beachgoers (as it
should be). What the city should do is supply a theater for the
Huntington Beach Playhouse, a nonprofit organization. That way everyone,
including those on limited incomes, could enjoy the theater arts as well
as other arts that are subsidized by the city.
The Huntington Beach Playhouse needs a place to give good theater to
the public.
G. KENT SMITH
Huntington Beach
