Dear Friend of Olney Theatre Center,

For the first time in history, the President of the United States has called for the elimination of the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities. 

Our community has rallied to defend the NEA many times before. What’s different this time is we’re not just arguing over funding levels; we’re being forced to justify the very existence of the agency, and by extension, the essence of the not-for-profit arts idea: that fostering creative expression, imagination and empathy, in every corner of this country, is as essential as the roads and bridges that get us there. 

This attack, which all of us choosing a career in the arts feel personally, is particularly poignant as we go into rehearsal this week for a world premiere, The Magic Play. There is no question we could choose plays to make a “profit” – The Mousetrap instead of The Magic Play; Noises Off instead of Fickle; we could have extended Mary Poppins into June and cancelled the rest of the season. We could stop performing National Players shows at schools and community centers that can’t afford us – in places like Arkansas, South Dakota, and here in Maryland. We don’t and won’t do those things because, as a not-for-profit institution, we have a duty to our entire community to balance sure-fire hits with adventurous new works, and to ensure the arts are accessible to everyone in this great nation. We might end up producing the next big flop… but what if we end up with the next Hamilton? Isn’t that worth forty-five cents from every American every year? 

But it’s not about the dollars. It’s about what the dollars say: that works like Hamilton and Angels in America and A Chorus Line and Fences – all brought to life by not-for-profit institutions – make such vital contributions to our nation’s greatness that, as our government subsidizes soybeans and stadiums and interstate roads, so must it subsidize our cultural lives. “Dynamism in arts and culture creates dynamism in a nation,” said former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. If you agree, read below about how to make your voice heard above the noise. 

How you can help:

• Contact your legislators to tell them that you believe in the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities
• Visit www.americansforthearts.org to sign a petition and learn about how you can help
  
• Support local theater and local artists by making a donation or purchasing tickets