February 22, 2012. BLOWING ROCK -- Blowing Rock News is pleased to publish letters to the editor, as long as they are written within our policies for good taste and absent hateful or obscene content.  They must also have a verifiable name and contact information (we do not publish anonymous letters).

Any and all opinions expressed herein are those of the author and any factual statements may not have been verified by Blowing Rock News. Publication of any letter to the editor by Blowing Rock News does not constitute an endorsement of the expressed views. Blowing Rock News reserves the right to edit submitted letters for grammar and structure, as well as the right to refuse publication for any reason.

Dear Editor:

I remember the first time I was inspired by the magic of a stage production.  I was a small child and my father took me to see a ballet.  When the performance was over, he showed me that the orchestra was in the “pit.” The musicians waved to me and I was awestruck that the music was being created by people hidden under the stage.  The realization that there were many different elements backstage and onstage coming together to create another world before my eyes stuck with me the rest of my life.

The closing of the Hayes Center, a magnificent performing arts space in our own backyard, deeply saddens me.  I’m a stay-at-home mother of two small daughters and I hoped to eventually take them to Blowing Rock to see a production there.  I am also an actor.  I performed throughout Pittsburgh and Tampa before moving with my husband to the High Country.  I worried about making the transition to a small mountain town, but I trusted that I’d find an artistic outlet.  Sure enough, I found Ensemble Stage.

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Ensemble Stage formed shortly after the Hayes Center closed the first time.  Resident actors and stage technicians previously employed by the Blowing Rock Stage Company were abruptly left unemployed, but pulled resources together to ensure that performing arts would continue here.  Since October of 2009, most of the original founders of the new theater group were forced to relocate to pursue more secure employment. 

However, Gary Smith and Lisa Lamont have remained in Blowing Rock working tirelessly to produce quality theatrical productions while working to enrich our community.  Their efforts have obviously paid off if you look at a few of their achievements.  Ensemble Stage won the 2010 Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce Award for Cultural Enrichment, they were a finalist for the 2011 Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce Award for Business of the Year, and they have donated countless hours to help other organizations like the Blowing Rock School PTO, Blowing Rock C.A.R.E.S., and the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce, just to name a few.  Also, their theater camps have provided opportunities for our local youth to create their own theatrical productions and see their work come to fruition on stage.

I am so grateful to have a year-round professional theater company in the area that is being led by people who truly care about the town, its residents, and visitors.  Whether it's just going to see a show, donating money, or volunteering your time, I encourage you to support Ensemble Stage and help keep the performing arts alive in our community.

Maureen Klinedinst – Deep Gap

 

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Editor's Note: We share Ms. Klinedinst's lament for the Hayes Center's closing, as well as her enthusiasm for the contributions of Ensemble Stage and its principals to the High Country arts scene.  Every single one of last summer's staged theatre offerings by Ensemble was an artistic "home run" and great entertainment.  

For long-time residents of the region, think back to the Blowing Rock Stage Company (BRSC) of 20-30 years ago. Heck, you don't even have to go that far back. As recently as early 2006, BRSC was producing professional summer stock theatre in the Blowing Rock School Auditorium -- to enthusiastic audiences and rave reviews.  To many, the small theatre added to the charm of the productions.  Going to an Ensemble Stage production at the Auditorium harkens back to the old BRSC days.

Regardless of Blowing Rock Stage Company's inability to sustain the Hayes Center's overall operations (and debt) solely with its own productions, the box office success of so many of its shows -- over more than 20 years -- proved that there is an appetite for good professional theatre in the High Country. For full-time and seasonal residents alike, what greater escape on a spring, summer, or autumn evening than to catch a staged theatre performance, whether a laugh-a-minute comedy or an edge-of-your-seat thriller?  

Blowing Rock News interviewed people after each 2011 Ensemble Stage production and one of the most common observations we found among seasonal theatre-goers (from Florida, Georgia, and so many major metropolitan areas) is that the quality of the shows rivaled -- and in some cases exceeded -- the best shows that those audience members had seen on Broadway, as well as professional productions in major metropolitan cities.  

I remember seeing The Will Rogers Follies in New York City, as well as Phantom of the Opera in Chicago.  Just because the Will Rogers Follies starred Keith Carradine and was being performed at The Palace on Broadway, and the Phantom of the Opera was on a 39-week run at Chicago's famed Auditorium Theatre on Michigan Avenue -- doesn't mean that the productions are flawless. In fact, given the comparative resources at its disposal, Ensemble Stage's productions last summer were far superior when you think about what they have to work with.  Are the sets as glitzy? No, but the actors are just as passionate about their craft.

Ms. Klinedinst is especially right about one thing: Ensemble Stage deserves our support, if only to go see a show and experience an evening's entertainment. Nobody works harder to deliver entertainment value -- and few are working as hard to deliver community value through their volunteer efforts and education programs. Blowing Rock News congratulates Ensemble Stage on its growth the last two years, and looks forward to the upcoming calendar of professional summer stock shows in the Auditorium.

Let's get behind Ensemble Stage in 2012. They are behind our community.

David Rogers, Editor/Publisher, Blowing Rock News

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