THEATRE: Why we bid farewell

The Coeur d’Alene Summer Theatre has fallen on hard financial times according to a recent Press article. Attendance is markedly down and there are less season ticket sales. The situation has become so grave that there is some doubt that there will be a summer theater next year.

When we moved here about 12 years ago we were greatly impressed with the quality of the summer theater performances. We became regular attendees and season ticket holders. A couple of years ago we noted a marked change in the choice of productions. Several we attended seemed to have a very liberal focus on social issues we found not in keeping with our more conservative beliefs. At that point we declined to be season ticket purchasers and opted to be more selective in the performances that we chose to attend.

We voted with our wallet! I am well aware that the arts community has a fairly liberal bent and a rather decided social message agenda. We simply did not wish to financially support their more liberal message in our community. Idaho tends to be a more conservative state and I wonder if the theater’s productions have become out of sync with the community values. The article in The Press noted that the audience was made up of more elderly folks.

The older generation tends to be more traditional in their values and beliefs. Perhaps there has become a disconnect between the theater arts community and their audience.

DON PHELAN

Coeur d’Alene