Dear Sullivan Community,
Did you rock to the Van-Dells this March? Were you in awe of the St. Louis Ballet that came in 2006? What piece carried you away by the St. Louis Symphony’s string quartet or brass quartet? How much reminiscing did you do when the Liverpool Legends Beatles Tribute Band came to town? Was your foot tapping to the SteelDrivers? Were you enthralled by the performance of Cornet Chop Suey?
And the most important question of all, were you there?
Sullivan has this amazing indoor theater, the Sullivan Performing Arts Theater. It also has a group of community members, the Patrons of the Arts, trying to bring a variety of entertainment to our town.
As I’m writing this, a new community theater is working diligently to put on a play for the community, Plaza Suite, by Neil Simon. Jozie Blair, a talented theater instructor, and actors from this community and the surrounding area are working on the set, the lines, the props and the advertising to make this play happen. The Patrons and this group are testing the waters, so to speak, to see if our area will support this type of program. We’re hoping to expand to a community musical next summer. However, we can’t do it without your help and support.
I chose to write a letter to the editor to encourage this town to support and promote the theater. So many of the programs listed above came to our theater with just a small group present. We have an 800-seat theater that other towns drool over. Filling those seats in performances can ensure that more popular programs will follow and the opportunities will continue to grow.
The Living Legends Beatles Tribute Band that came here now have a theater in Branson and perform nightly. They performed on our stage. The SteelDrivers were nominated for a Grammy Award. They performed on our stage. The St. Louis Symphony Quartets and the St. Louis Ballet have a huge audience appeal and draw. They performed on our stage. Cornet Chop Suey—coming again in October—left the audience wanting more. They performed on our stage.
If you experience live theater, you would know that it is nothing like sitting in front of a TV. Live performances make you part of the experience. We are so used to our entertainment TVs, DVRs, Tivos, DVDs and all those other acronyms that we sometimes don’t get out of our seats to experience true entertainment and be part of life.
The Sullivan Patrons of the Arts works hard with funds from the local Sullivan Cultural Grant and other funding sources to keep the cost of ticketing reasonable. These performances do incur many fees, and often we break even or take a loss on the show. This non-profit organization, run by volunteers, has the mission of bringing a variety of performances to the community.
I’m asking Sullivan to get out of those seats at home and visit some new seats to experience one of these opportunities in the Sullivan Performing Arts Theater. Branch out and experience all the shows. You’ll be surprised at what you like.
We need your support and help to keep bringing these programs to our town. One simple way to show support and help is to be there. We have some wonderful dreams for what we can bring to Sullivan in the future, but we must have the community behind us. We believe bringing the arts to this town can help grow our community culturally, economically, and socially.
So, put July 30 and 31 on your calendar to attend one of the performances of Plaza Suite. Also, save Oct. 2 for Cornet Chop Suey—a truly remarkable show coming back to town again. Ask anyone that attended last time and they can tell you why we are excited for their return. Those people were in the seats.
If you have any questions or want more information and ways to help or join the Sullivan Patrons, please call 573-468-3207 or visit our website at www.sullivanpatrons.org.
So, take a seat for the next show. Bring your friends and family. Let’s show off just one of the great opportunities that Sullivan has to offer. Be part of the experience. We’ll see you there.
Thanks,
Karen Largent