Letter to the editor

An important board meeting of the Sun City Association is convening on Wednesday, June 6, at 9 a.m. The future of the arts and artists of the Sun City (Summerlin) community that use the Starbright Theatre is in the balance.

Signature Productions has made an overture for usage of the Starbright Theatre in which to present their productions, since they have been theoretically shut out of the Summerlin Library facility due to a raise in usage fees. Signature Productions has advised that when they are in production, the theater will be inaccessible to any other entity in Sun City for as much as eight weeks each time while they are in production, presumably for three productions. That means the theater would be unavailable to the arts and artists of Sun City for at least 24 weeks. Almost half a year.

The arts and artists of Sun City have been assured that the usage would be on a noninterference basis (production dates would not conflict with current program dates of Sun City arts and artists); however, no Sun City entity has been able to set dates for their future programs (2013 and forward) to ensure there is no conflict with Signature Production dates. The community of the arts and artists of Sun City should have their program needs met first and then outsiders should fit their needs to those schedules. Del Webb built the Starbright Theatre for the Sun City community, and that basis should be what drives the planning of the theater.

The argument was put forth that the needs of a few hundred residents should not be the prime consideration; however, once a venue is taken away, that venue dies forever. When that venue dies, the arts and artists of the Sun City community will no longer exist. And when they no longer exist, a great resource of talent that entertains the Summerlin community several times a year will have withered away and died.

And that would be a terrible shame.

George Pucine

Las Vegas