Monthly Archives: April 2018

Dear Council,

I am the artistic director at Burien Actors Theatre, http://www.burienatorstheatre.org.

BAT is a small 94-seat theater located in Burien. In May of 2017, the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington conducted a study of BAT’s economic impact on the City of Burien. Over and above ticket purchases, BAT adds over $141,000.00 annually to the City of Burien’s economy. That is $22.27 per participant. BAT does that with a budget of about $100,000.00 per year. (These are not National numbers, these are numbers from a city just north of Federal Way.)

Undoubtedly, Centerstage Theatre Arts Conservatory, with its larger house, and a bigger budget, a greater number of productions, and outreach adds significantly more to the economy of Federal Way. Theater-goers tend to eat and drink at a restaurant near the theater so they are not caught in traffic and miss the show.

Live theater is not a zero-sum game. Great theater in Federal Way, like that produced by Centerstage, adds to the success of better live theater in Burien and other performing arts in surrounding areas. Therefore, although I am not a resident of Federal Way, your decision about renewing Federal Way’s contract with Centerstage directly impacts BAT and the health of all the arts in South King County and North Pierce County.

Lately, there has been much discussion about how compared to Seattle, South King County is an arts desert. One of the bright spots in that desert, that casts a better light on Federal Way and South King County, is Centerstage. BAT has been impressed with the quality of work produced by Centerstage. In a very good way, Centerstage’s high standards have kept BAT on its toes.