Vancouver is a beautiful place. I am always struck by the lush, green trees and hills around here when returning home from a trip to dryer climes. We live in one of the most abundantly beautiful places on earth!

We are blessed with natural abundance in other ways as well. Our area draws some of the most talented and prolific artists alive. Can you name some of them? With the loss of Vancouver Voice last year, and the huge shadow of Portland's thriving arts scene, we are left with a concerning lack of publicity for the brave arts venues that continue to hold their hard-won ground here.

Some of this lack can be accounted for by the crisis/opportunity inherent in our growing pains. We are no longer a small town; nor have we developed a collective vision of ourselves as a city. We would like to retain the best of small town life while growing into a flourishing, vibrant, nourishing mecca of social activity. But all positive change has it's price. And people naturally want to get a fair bargain for that price.

What will that new, larger, more encompassing city look like? Whose priorities will be honored? What small voices will be ignored by progress? And at what price? Will we embrace large industry and grow more like Tacoma? Or will we choose a future full of creativity, drawing tourism and retirement to the North Shore of the Columbia River, along the lines of Bend or Ashland? Certainly, there are plenty of proponents and strategic opportunities to support both of these futures. Is it possible to grow along both paths at the same time? Recent studies indicate that art correlates strongly to healthy economic growth

That's where our creative kin come in. Who but our artists, writers, dramatists, and musicians have those visionary talents? Yet, artists are rarely temperamentally inclined to impose their impassioned vision on the masses.  We know we see things differently. We enjoy undiluted expressions of our unique visions in our own venues, sometimes to the dismay of those who do not share those visions. Still, it is just this ability to "see things as they could be" that makes us so necessary to the growth process. So, if you want some input on your future community growth plans, you'll need to invite that by providing a place and time and platform for it.

This fact of community life is what makes organizations like the now defunct Vancouver Voice, our new SW WA Stage & Theater Arts Review, and other art information sources so vital. These sources are provided to invite the vision we need as we grow - and a way to learn about and support that creative vision. I invite you to add to the list!

Oh, my goodness! That was a blast! Our first show in the new theater was amazing - talented local playwright, actors, techie; wonderful audiences; supportive community; beautiful new theater space with local artists' work on the walls. A peak life experience in every way.

A friend once pointed out that peak experiences involve both fear and excitement. I would add to that: joy, pride, exhaustion, a certain amount of compulsion. And gratitude for the opportunity to experience it all. I can't imagine a better group of people to do this with, either. Perfection!

_ I haven’t written for a while. But that’s not because I don’t have anything to say – quite the opposite. So many bits of serendipity have sprung from our one small, brave step of starting that there hasn’t been time to process it all.

First, our wonderful landlord made it possible for us to just start, and made the changes necessary for us to be in our new theater home at 500 Washington ST. Then a virtual outpouring of support from our new neighbors propelled us forward – a huge heart full of gratitude goes out to these wonderful people…first the theater folk, then our business neighbors, some new friends who happened along and the Vancouver Downtown Association. It is hard to describe the sense of hope and excitement that a simple “Welcome!” engenders!

This excitement unleashed a tremendous amount of creative energy in our little group. It makes me wonder if creativity is just a natural outcome of the goodness of community. I hope so. Because that is exactly the mix we are looking to produce, both on stage and in Vancouver. Creativity, goodness, new friends, part of community. Mmm-mmm-mmm! Perfection.

I found myself telling Tony in a rare moment of respite that if I didn't work so many hours I could get more work done!

Yikes. I don't know if anyone has taken a peek at our draft mission statement or not. It wouldn't surprise me if you cut right to the goods - we're all a bit short on time these days. But if not, I'll tell you with a red face that the first item on our agenda is to remember to have fun.

Honestly! Does fitting more work into a full day of work sound like fun?