As a theatre professional I probably often take theatre for granted. I live and breathe theatre all the time and I really enjoy what I do, but sometimes that fact does take a lot of the magic out of it for me. I enjoy going to the theatre to see shows that I am not working on, but I sometimes feel like I have to go twice to really see the show because I am always thinking about “how/why did they do that” and you really can’t pay attention to everything at the same time! I suppose I just get a different enjoyment out of going to a show than many people.
One of the benefits of working for Pioneer Theatre is that I get comp tickets to all of our shows. Usually I don’t have people to give the tickets to and I don’t use them myself on account of I run a lot of the shows. I often look for people to give tickets to because sharing theatre is the whole point! Our ticket prices are nowhere near the cost of a ticket to a Broadway show, but sometimes the cost of a theatre ticket can be prohibitive. The other reason that I like to use my comps is that it is nice to have people at the shows, especially the lesser known ones that don’t sell as well. That being said, if you are ever in Salt Lake City and want to see one of our shows, just let me know and I will set you up.
So, this year I made good friends with my SCUBA instructor who works up at Dive Utah in Ogden. When I was telling him what I do for a living he told me that his wife and daughter love to go to the theatre. I brought up a stack of our season fliers and a pair of tickets to our production of Is He Dead? which made them very happy. Upon hearing that I sent up more tickets for our production of A Christmas Story, and then I didn’t hear anything from them for a while.
The other day I received the following letter:
Dear Alex,
You don’t know who I am, but I am the lucky recipient of the tickets to see not only “Is He Dead”, but also “A Christmas Story”. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your generosity. It was the first time I had ever been to that particular theatre, and I was so impressed with everything. The scenery on both of them were amazing, and they were done so professionally, that it was a pleasure to watch. I don’t think there is a bad seat in the house, and the sound was wonderful, you could not ask for more.
I had never heard of “Is He Dead” but thoroughly loved it. “A Christmas Story” happens to be one of my favorite Christmas shows…..and the play was a million times better….THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
My daughter and I are the live theatre lovers in our family, and try to get to just about any and all plays around, and that is why I am so surprised that we have never been to the Pioneer theatre before, but it won’t be the last time….we loved it!!!
Thanks again for your kindness, I really do appreciate it!!!
It is really cool to hear that what we are doing has had such an impact on these people. Frankly, I think that is what doing this job is all about. I love sharing what I do and I am happy that I am able to offer this kind of opportunity to the family of my friend. Getting a letter like this really reminds me why I do what I do, why I work in this industry. It makes me feel like I am doing the right thing and that I made the right choices to get here.
I am sure that there are plenty of people out there who get some kind of positive feedback and response to what they are doing, and it probably makes them feel similar. I just love the fact that theatre is such a community activity every person in the audience has an impact on the show that is presented and everyone takes something different away with them. To be able to share that magic and have it make people happy and excited to come to the theatre is what it is all about. I don’t look for or need to see my name in the program, I don’t care if my contribution is recognized. Just knowing that at least one person was moved or inspired by coming to the theatre makes my job worthwhile!
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