Fw: [Winona] Wilkie/Shakespeare

[Leslie Hittner]

Janice,

Does Theatre Du Mississippi support your contentions? I believe
GRSF can be a win win for those who want to be in the game. Yes,
the game has changed, but then, doesn't it always?

-Leslie Hittner

> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <jturek at hbci.com>
> To: "c.e.w." <lotustrail at yahoo.com>
> Cc: <winona at mnforum.org>
> Sent: Friday, June 16, 2006 2:00 PM
> Subject: Re: [Winona] Wilkie/Shakespeare
>
>
> > [Winona Online Democracy]
> >
> > Quoting "c.e.w." <lotustrail at ya/hoo.com>:
> >
> > > [Winona Online Democracy]
> > >
> > > Finally people are starting to get it!  Shakespeare is
just
> like Walmart, it
> > has become a small town killer. Other arts events that the
> City does not deem
> > important has suffered tremendously since Shakespeare came
to
> town.  Every year
> > this group expects to come into our town and raise well over
> $600,000 (the
> > first year the goal was over a million dollars). I
understand
> they raised about
> > $800,000.  How much of that was left in Winona or brought in
> from other sources?
> >  Very Very little.   How many hotels rooms need to get
> occupied, meals bought
> > and suveniers purchased to bring well over $600,000 back to
> this community each
> > year?  It's a no brainer.
> >
> > Over $600,000 (and I believe this is a very low figure from
> what I hear)  goes
> > out on goods, producers, directors, costumes, actors and is
> removed from our
> > town. The City gives GRSF taxpayer money and supports no
other
> arts.  Other
> > events and arts in this area have suffered emencely since
> Shakespeare came to
> > town. Sponsorships and donations for other art events has
> declined, I know this
> > first hand.  The City has become the promoters and producers
> of the Shakespeare
> > Festival, all on taxpayer money. When did the City get into
> the business of
> > theatre, because they have. The unfortunate part of this, is
> this city and
> > businesses in it are not supporting their own.  Instead,
they
> have been
> > bulldozed into believing a non-self sustaining very high
buck
> business deserves
> > more than all the other arts in this community put together.
I
> believe it is
> > called the "Music Man Phenominon" (sp)
> >
> > The media has done a great job in bulldozing people as well.
> >
> > Now we have gone to the level of spending State tax money on
> this.  I highly
> > support the arts in this town as anyone who knows me will
tell
> you.  Because I
> > support them, I see Shakespeare not a contributor to this
town
> but as a taker.
> > Out the money goes.  Will this be the saving grace of Winona
> as some of our
> > City leaders have said - oh come on!!  I wish people would
> speak up more on
> > this. I hear rumblings in the community all the time.  I see
> arts activities
> > drop out.
> > Do the numbers. Even if Shakespeare sold every single
ticket,
> every
> > single night, they would still only raise about a third of
the
> money they need
> > to do their productions. That means every year, HUNDREDS of
> thousands of
> > dollars
> > of handouts are needed to sustain Shakespeare.  I don't care
> how much money is
> > in this town, there is only so much to go around and
> unfortunately their is
> > very
> > little left for others, We are not Minneapolis and this type
> of money is a lot
> > of money in Winona (or anywhere for that matter).
> >
> > The Wilke is an example of this.  Money is being poured into
> an event that lasts
> > 5 weeks, devours resource money, and uses very few
businesses
> or people in our
> > town for support.  Do you know the first year they did not
> even print the
> > programs in Winona?  Not sure where that stands now, but it
> would not surprise
> > me if they are still taking this service (and therefore the
> money) out of this
> > town as well.  Janice Turek
> >
> >
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