COUNTERPUNCH LETTERS : Time to Support Theater

Thank you for the article supporting the radical notion that theater actors should be paid (“In Praise of Actors Getting Paid,” by Lynn Redgrave, Counterpunch, Feb. 26). There is not enough money in theater here to survive on, and TV and film are such business-driven vehicles that the artistic impulse is often the first thing that’s sacrificed. To see a truly gifted actor perform is a life-enhancing experience that should be available to as many people as possible. It is a different experience when it’s live, not that many know that now.

When I have performed in local productions, I have looked out and seen a preponderance of gray heads. Not only are the large movie companies taking no interest in theater’s survival in L.A., but there are no new audiences being developed for the future. Theater should not be viewed as a way to prep for films but as an end in itself.

A city is not a great city without supporting the great arts. Come on DreamWorks, Disney, et al. Let’s give L.A. some snob appeal. Even Fresno pays its performers.

PAULETTA WALSH

Pacific Palisades