This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
If the facts and figures in "Hale Centre Theatre's bid for more taxpayers' money creates drama" (Tribune, March 3) are correct, providing Hale Centre with another $2 million is asking too much from the taxpayers.
Do we need a theater that supplies the kind of entertainment that Hale Centre provides? Of course, we do.
But to help fund it at an even greater expenditure of public monies when Pioneer Theatre, Salt Lake Acting Company, Plan B, etc., struggle because they provide a more sophisticated, professional repertoire is an insult to the art of the theater and to the audiences who demand something beyond fluff.
In America, we've dumbed down everything, from our politics to our arts to our education system. Perhaps we should increase support of our arts traditions by rewarding those who challenge us, teach us and keep us in touch with our better angels, and let pop culture take care of itself.
Craig Fineshriber
Cottonwood Heights