Proud and embarrassed after watching production at Gaffney Little Theatre

Dear Editor:

Rarely have I been so proud of a group of children and so embarrassed for a city as I was Friday night.

The occasion was a performance of "Alice in Wonderland." The children were from a variety of backgrounds across Cherokee County. The place was what I can describe only as the most decrepit excuse for a community theater that I have ever seen: The Gaffney Little Theater.

While I am no longer an area resident, I am a Cherokee County native who lived in Blacksburg for many years. I have no vested interest in promoting the Gaffney Little Theater, although I must admit that one of my grandchildren, in her first theatrical endeavor, was one of the performers. And, I have been following through The Ledger and other area newspapers the recent attempts to gain support for a new Little Theater.

No, I have never had any particular affinity for the performing arts, but every community in which I have lived has had thriving cultural arts programs. Unfortunately, it seems that Cherokee County places lesser value on cultural arts than almost anything else to the detriment of all its citizens. Sometimes a Little Theater production is the closest some people will ever get to a Broadway performance, and sometimes attending that one local play will engender a lifelong love for the theater.

However, I realize that the bottom line is the only line of significance to many people, some of whom are in public office and determine how public funds will be spent. I ask those people, "If you have never been to a Gaffney Little Theater production, go. See why this organization will never make enough money to satisfy your bottom-line requirements without your help."

The building itself is too small and looks to be in poor repair. The auditorium, if one can loosely call it that, has a helter-skelter mix of old theater seats and folding chairs and holds a severely limited number of people. The wall coverings are faded and stained. The props are old and continuously used and reused.

Despite this, however, the 26 youths in grades 2 to 11 outshone their surroundings, thanks to the direction of Phil Gibbons and the unswerving support of parents and community volunteers. Nobody forgot a line and everybody sang and danced on cue. Their enthusiasm and pride in performance garnered the spotlight, leaving their shoddy surroundings in the shadows. And, then, too, children don't notice their surroundings the way that adults do.

I shudder to think how the self-esteem of adults in Gaffney Little Theater productions must suffer because their cities and county think so little of their efforts that they refuse to help provide a place worthy of their efforts.

Surely Cherokee County, Blacksburg , Gaffney, local businesses/industries and civicminded citizens can come up with some way to refurbish, rebuild or build a new Little Theater.

All your citizens deserve a place they can attend and support with pride. I sincerely hope you will agree.
Frances Upchurch Helms
China Grove, N.C.