July 2009
When I
launched TheatreLouisville in December of 2006, I didn't know
what to
expect. I saw a need for a user-supported web site
for and about
theatre, and
I hoped for modest participation. What has happened in
that short
time span, however, has been astounding. As of this morning,
we have 140
registered users, new listings go up almost daily, and the
local print
and broadcast media now look to us for theatre information,
as do scores
of actors, visitors to Kentuckiana, and theatre
fans area-wide.
All of our
readers, users and participating theatres should share in
the credit for this
amazing success. With
success, however, comes responsibility, and
specifically the obligation
to take this
web site to its next level. That requires a new
perspective,
and that
means it's time to turn over the leadership to someone else
—
certainly with some sadness, but mostly with
excitement about what
TheatreLouisville's future can be. Sherry
Deatrick probably has the strongest list of
credentials of anyone
in our group
of peer reviewers, having come to us after several years
as the lead
theatre reviewer for LEO, Louisville's
second-largest newspaper.
She has
studied acting, although she chose not to perform. She has been
invited to
prestigious reviewer conferences around the country, and
is a
professional journalist, authoring a regular column in a renowned
international
journal. Most importantly, she loves theatre as much as
I do. Sherry takes
the helm of TheatreLouisville as of July 1, 2009. I hope
you will join
me in offering her your support and best wishes for many
more years of
growth and success. — A.S. Waterman
Copyright © 2009 A.S. Waterman. All rights reserved.
Hail Fellows, Well Met! I am honored
that A.S. Waterman chose me as the successor in
"womaning" the
helm of
theatrelouisville.org
. When I first
started out in theater as a playwright and actor back
in the old
days, there were few opportunities for
those
interested in theater. We've seen a tremendous
growth in the
performing arts throughout our region
over the past
three decades. The challenge of staying
afloat during
these rough seas looms large for most companies. I hope
this website
can continue the founder's mission of serving the theater
community and
sparking audience interest in getting out to
see a show...
to try
something new. I welcome
suggestions and input from both sides of the stage
— from
theatergoers
as well as those who make it happen. My goal is to fulfill
the founder's
original vision for this website to include other types
of arts
organizations under one umbrella. Ease of use for the consumer
and the
provider is a major focus. As a 2007
Fellow at the NEA/USC Annenberg School of
Journalism's Institute
for Theater
Criticism, I developed relationships with critics
and theater
professionals
across the United States. I look forward to sharing with
you some of
their ideas and insights in the months ahead. I am sure
you will join me in wishing A.S. Waterman the best
and expressing
gratitude for
creating and maintaining this site as a labor of love
over the last
three years. Now, on with
the shows! — Sherry R. Deatrick Copyright © 2009 — Sherry R.
Deatrick. All rights reserved.
Read previous Messages from the Publisher
From the publisher...
A.S. Waterman
Hail and Farewell