HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/12/2019 Item 10, Foster
Wilbanks, Megan
From:David Carey Foster <davidcareyfoster@twc.com>
Sent:Sunday, November
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:SLO Rep Approval…Please!
Dear SLO City Council Members—
Please take a few moments to consider my very strong endorsement for the new facility proposed by
SLO Rep that is on your upcoming agenda.
As a long-time resident who has come and gone for nearly 40 years, I have had a unique
perspective on the county as a whole, and have been blessed to have some working perspective on
the artistic arc of San Luis Obispo and its neighboring cities during that time.
In fact, I began fostering my professional career as an actor, director and producer in the early
1980’s at the Great American Melodrama in Oceano. I have also worked at PCPA, SLO Rep (and
SLO Little Theatre), and some kind of interaction with pretty much every theatre outlet in the vicinity
of SLO; some of which are no longer in existence.
I have used the central coast as my geographic touchstone all that time, while traveling around the
world working in the theatre, film and television industry. It is still as beautiful and inspiring as the
first day I saw it.
By far, SLO Rep has been one of the most exciting theatre organizations to watch and participate
with over the years.
I have directed three main-stage productions for them in the past four years, and watched with great
pride as SLO Rep has grown by leaps and bounds the under its current leadership. Every single
production has been a delight, and I count my work there as some of the most rewarding.
But they are now at a stand-still.
SLO Rep cannot maintain their invaluable good works in their current facility with any hope of
evolution toward their fuller potential - both as a valuable enticement for visitors and residents, and
as a primary artistic entity on the central coast.
They have gone as far as they can under their present circumstances, which is far short of where
they could go. This is clear.
The question is - do you, as board members, believe SLO Rep has enough value for the city and
county to champion their expansion in a meaningful way? Do they have current value for the
residents and businesses that will further extend into the future?
Certainly, as our world becomes more complicated every day, it’s essential to support places like the
SLO Rep: to celebrate our complicated and beautiful species, as well as illuminate and dissect
1
personal and societal issues. To work on them from the inside out. Because sometimes problems
become so big, with so many voices, and so many people involved, and so many venues talking
about them, that we often end up just chipping away at these issues from the outside, barely making
a dent. We overlook or give short shrift to the parts that make up the whole.
Theatre looks at all of the components. Theatre is more interested in the components. Theaters - like
SLO Rep - thrive on the components.
A theatre performance offers us a unique opportunity to slow our pace for a couple of hours, dial
down the cacophony, shut off the cell phone and spend some time laughing, crying, thinking,
commiserating, tapping our toes or just plain old furthering our quality of life by suspending our
disbelief. All done in the company of fellow humans who are all taking a common journey down
different paths, as we watch stories unfold in word and song and light and sound on the stage, in
breathtakingly different ways from production to production.
In my opinion, SLO Rep does this, and does it very, very well. It is an essential gathering place for
entertainment and inspiration.
But now they need your help to grow beyond just maintaining their current level of relevance and
worth.
Believe me, I have worked in dozens of theaters from coast to coast. And no theatre can have real
impact, or achieve real worth to any city with less than 100 seats for very long. It must have a facility
commensurate with its potential, and a sagging old converted library off the beaten path cannot
sustain the SLO Rep vision for very long.
A modern and vibrant theater complex, housing a modern and vibrant theatre company in San Luis
Obispo is a logical next step for the city’s amazing renaissance. And I have no doubt that you all
believe SLO Rep is the company for the job.
PLEASE consider furthering their growth and value in the community by affirming the proposal for
the new facility.
Best Regards,
D. Foster
To help protect your privacy, Microsoft Office
prevented automatic download of this picture from
David Carey Foster
the Internet.
| mobile: 818/749-4642
| email: davidcareyfoster@twc.com
2