City Departments
Seattle City Council
4/22/2005 4:23:00 PM
Frank Video (206) 684-8803
COUNCIL EXPECTED TO DECLARE ANNUAL LIVE THEATRE WEEK
This year, April 26th through May 2nd, local theatres offer special events
SEATTLE–On Monday, April 25th, the City Council will vote on a resolution declaring the last week of April every year as Seattle’s annual Live Theatre Week. This year, on the week of April 26th through May 2nd the Council will celebrate the diversity and importance of Seattle’s live theater scene.
Participating theaters will offer incentives during Live Theatre Week for the public to attend plays and readings, such as pay-what-you-can admission, special meet-the-artist events, and behind the scenes tours. Scheduled events are posted at http://www.SeattlePerforms.com.
“Beyond just being proud of Seattle’s theater scene,” said Councilmember Nick Licata, sponsor of the resolution, “we benefit by participating. I encourage everyone to go to the theater, buy tickets as gifts and commit to making Seattle's live theater a more significant part of your lives.”
Licata points out that ArtsFund, a major regional arts supporter, determined that the arts had a $1 billion impact on Washington state's economy in 2003. ArtsFund’s Economic Impact Study of Arts and Cultural Organizations for that year reports that live theatre in King County attracted the highest number of patrons of any other arts or cultural category surveyed - 2,286,429 – while generating $77,800,000 in spending.
Live Theatre Week coincides with “Take Part In Art,” a public awareness campaign conducted this Spring by the Arts Coalition, with support from the Seattle Foundation, encouraging citizens to partake in the vibrant arts sector that exists in Seattle.
Two of Seattle’s longest-lived and beloved theaters, The Empty Space and ACT, came close to closing in the past two years. Yet, when the public learned of their plights, each theater was able to rally support and continue. Licata says, “People simply need to be reminded that we have a remarkable opportunity to experience the best live theater in the nation. Live Theatre Week is the Council’s way of expressing our gratitude to the theatres and to remind everyone else to attend.”
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