I’m just back from Cleveland Ohio, where I was attending an Historic Theatres conference. I was struck by their downtown, and its success in respect to our local situation. While it was a long time coming, the entire success can be traced to a singular action – the restoration of the theatres at Playhouse Square. The square is made up of a number of historic theatres including the Ohio, the Palace, the Hanna and the State which have all been restored or rehabilitated by a private non-profit entity. When this project started, downtown Cleveland was a wreck – now it is not. The holdings of the Playhouse Square Foundation now include a hotel, office buildings and parking facilities as well as a unique partnership in the IDEA center with Cleveland’s public TV and radio entities.

The restored theatres have led to increased office rentals, street traffic and new retail opportunities for downtown. I saw public art, pedestrians, busy shops and restaurants, new mass transit solutions and a sense of civic pride. Of course Tucson is not Cleveland, nor is it any other city, but I think we can learn a little from them. It has been said that every successful downtown revitalization has an historic theatre as a central component (Richard Moe – National Trust for HIstoric Preservation) and here we are in Tucson with TWO restored historic theatres. 

How do we leverage these properties to greater overall success? Public support (not just cash), as well as insuring that multiple voices and decision makers are at the table for key discussions is a good place to start. We cannot continue to chase away key community members who are valued stake holders with experience. Government cannot always lead, and should not be in charge of our cultural resources if we are to become a world class arts community.

In these trying times, most of our local non-profit arts organizations could use a hand. Everyone from downtown non-profit artspaces (Dinnerware gallery for one) to the “major’s” are looking to stretch their funds a bit. With the collapse of endowments (for those lucky enough to have them) and the decrease in discretionary income, many fine arts organizations are barely hanging on. While it is easy to forget that the arts are a vital part of our lives, we will miss them in greatly if they cease to exist during these trying times. From their economic impact on the community, to the richness they bring to our lives, the arts are an important element in our daily lives. Please take the time to think how you may support one of the following arts organizations either by attending an event, mailing a check, or even by volunteering to help during this rough time. I have listed the websites of many groups below, but this is not a complete list – please support your favorite, or poke around and find a few to try to help.

azopera.org

arizonatheatrecompany.org

tucsonsymphony.org

tucsonmuseumofart.org

moca-tucson.org

dinnerwarearts.com

ballettucson.org

foxtucsontheatre.org

rialtotheatre.com

I promise this is not just a plug to attend the Summer films at the Fox….It occurs to me, scanning the papers daily, that of course we are in the midst of the summer film desert By this I mean of course that the vast majority of films released by the studios during these hot calendar  months are aimed at generating the most money, and not the most engrossing post-film discussions. I will admit I enjoyed the “Star Trek” reboot, am hearing great things about “Up”, laughed out loud for much of “The Hangover” but was unimpressed by “Terminator Salvation” and the “X-Men” Origins film so far. Having visited the set for the upcoming “Transformers” sequel I am mostly interested in having my 12-year old son be blown away by the spectacle of it all.

It would seem a good time to remind people that there are other choices in the Tucson film world than the multiplexes which surround our City. Fine classic films will continue to be screened at the 10th annual Cinema La Placita on Thursday nights (cinemalaplacita.com) at 7:30pm. Also, the Loft, Tucson’s home for Independent CInema (loftcinema.com) has a great schedule of upcoming films that are not to be missed. And of course I have to mention the Fox, whose 4th annual summer series I have again programmed. The series (foxtucsontheatre.org) has screened two gems so far (“Best Years of our Lives” & “The Searchers”) but will screen 7 more including “The African Queen” on this Saturday – June 27th. The series ends August 15th with “Dr. Strangelove”. Films start at 7:30pm and between the ambience, great films and beverages it is a great way to beat the blockbuster blues with a classic film. Many cities do not have this wealth of “other” film options – support them if you can – you will not be sorry.