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Show Community Theatre Needs A Mace To Rehearse And Present Plays By GARY R. BLODGETT BOUNTIFUL - Shakespear said, "The entire world is a stage..." DR. WHITNEY Young appeared before the Bountiful City Council last Wednesday night and asked "not for the world, just a small place to rehearse and present stage productions." Dr. Young, director of the Bountiful Community Theatre, told the council that his theatrical group "has searched high and low and cannot find a suitable place to hold rehearsals and offer their shows." HE EXPLAINED THAT the Davis School District in the past has underwritten their productions or offered school auditoriums for stage productions. "But they no longer do this," he said. "In fact, the cost for use of schools is such that it is prohibitive to use schools for rehearsals. "Occasionally, we will use a school for productions, pro-ductions, but this is costly and almost prohibitive pro-hibitive when you add in the costs of royalties, royal-ties, costumes, scenery, etc." HE EMPHASIZED that all of the members mem-bers and directors are amateurs and volunteer volun-teer their services. "All we are trying to do is break even with our productions, but lately late-ly we haven't been able to do this." "Now we are coming to the city, seeking whatever help we can get --' even suggestions sugges-tions as to what we might do," said Dr. Young. "We have reached a crisis and need help. DR. YOUNG told the council that they had made several tentative plans for productions pro-ductions to be held in schools and churches, only to be advised at the last minute that they could no longer use the facility. "This is getting very discouraging and many of our board, staff and theatre members mem-bers are getting depressed," he said. "It's getting to a point that if something isn't done if we don't find a home-of-sort -- the theatre group will dissolve." HE SAID THE group is preparing for a June production, but even this is in jeopardy. Dr. Young asked the council for use of the basement of City Hall. CITY MANAGER Tom Hardy explained that much of this area (basement) is petitioned peti-tioned for security of emergency equipment. equip-ment. Also, there are no restrooms in the basement. He suggested that the group try and use the Bountiful-Davis Art Center, although this facility would be too small for productions. produc-tions. "I THINK IT'S terrible that the city can't offer something suitable for a group such as this," said Mayor Dean S. Stahle. "Itpoints out another reason for Bountiful having a community cultural center with facilities for theatrical groups." |