‘DEAR RON’ LETTERS

Ron Davis has a myopic view of life (“A tale of good and evil at the

Huntington Beach Playhouse,” May 3.) He works in a law office and

probably enjoys a very handsome income.

I would expect a person of his status to have more compassion for

people less fortunate than himself. Most retired seniors and the young

people without his income, who love the arts, wish to be able to enjoy

them at affordable prices. This will be denied if ticket prices need to

be increased to accommodate the rent increase requested by Ron Hayden.

If the library needs more money, they should raise their income from

library patrons who pay nothing for the services. All playhouse patrons

are paying to see the productions.

The playhouse board of directors produces these plays without

compensation for their efforts. They are all volunteers as are the

actors. They do this for the love of the art, which is more than the

library director does.

The mistake was the city should have divided the theater to one group

and the library to another, and not one subservient to the other.

If Ron Davis feels the city should get more money from the buildings

it owns, why not have attorneys pay rent every time they use the

courthouse? Besides renting the theater, the playhouse must pay for the

rights to produce these plays.

The city subsidizes the beaches without charging the beachgoers (as it

should be). What the city should do is supply a theater for the

Huntington Beach Playhouse, a nonprofit organization. That way everyone,

including those on limited incomes, could enjoy the theater arts as well

as other arts that are subsidized by the city.

The Huntington Beach Playhouse needs a place to give good theater to

the public.

G. KENT SMITH

Huntington Beach