Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/23/2019 Item 2, DeLaurier Wilbanks, Megan From:Roger DeLaurier <rdelaurier@pcpa.org> Sent:Tuesday, October To:Advisory Bodies Subject:New SLO REP Theatre deserves approval San Luis Obispo Planning Commission October 22, 2019 To Whom It May Concern: I am writing in support of SLO Rep and their proposed new performance venue. I am the Associate Artistic Director/Conservatory Director at PCPA – Pacific Conservatory Theatre in Santa Maria/Solvang. As a sister theatre of SLO Rep and one of only three professional venues on the Central Coast, it is crucial for SLO Rep to expand its scope of operation and earning potential through expanded ticket sales if it is to remain a viable institution and continue to serve the SLO community through its performances, youth programing and its positive economic impact on SLO’s downtown. As SLO Rep has grown over the past decade, our bond as sister companies have deepened on many levels. SLO Rep has hired numbers of our Conservatory Acting Program graduates, giving them valuable early professional career experience. SLO Rep Artistic Director, Kevin Harris, sits on our CTE Advisory Committee as a part of the Career/Technical Education Program at Allan Hancock College which certifies our Conservatory graduates. He also attends our Actors Co- op Auditions on an annual basis. SLO Rep has also hired current and former PCPA - Pacific Conservatory Theatre Resident Artists as actors and directors. Because of SLO Rep’s growth over the past decade, many professional actors now call the Central Coast home as they can make a full-time living between the three professional venues. The value of having SLO REP as a viable professional theatre in our area cannot be over-estimated. We share many dedicated donors with SLO Rep so I hear directly about their enthusiasm for the new venue. Much of SLO Rep’s artistic improvement has been made possible by a rapidly growing donor base, which has demonstrated a strong willingness to fund construction of a new theatre. SLO REP has earned this opportunity. I hope you will support SLO Rep’s construction of a new venue and help to support a vibrant future for this important cultural resource for San Luis Obispo. Sincerely, Roger DeLaurier Associate Artistic Director/Conservatory Director PCPA – Pacific Conservatory Theatre www.pcpa.org rdelaurier@pcpa.org (805) 928-7731, ext. 4116 Roger DeLaurier (He/Him/His) Associate Artistic Director/Conservatory Director (805)928-7731, ext. 4116 rdelaurier@pcpa.org 1 2