Those of you who actually read the “Upcoming Theatre” section in my theatre reviews may have noticed a reference to the Pasadena Playhouse. Yup, we’re going back there, at least for a few shows. This is because the Playhouse is doing something surprising.
Let me relate the history. As you recall, the Playhouse went into bankruptcy after the January show. After a series of poor communications with subscribers, we eventually donated our tickets. That’s where I expected things to stand—in a quasi-subscriber state until we were asked to subscribe again whenver they announced a new season.
But guess what? When I started to communicate with the Playhouse regarding tickets to their next production, “FDR”, I was told we were getting tickets for free to “FDR as well as “Uptown/Downtown”. I didn’t believe this, because I had received no communication from the Playhouse. However, taking a chance, I changed our dates for FDR and bought two extra tickets, figuring I would believe our subscription tickets when I saw them.
I saw them.
Today, in the mail, I received six tickets: four for FDR, and two for Uptown/Downtown. The accompanying letter stated:
For those of you who donated some or all of your plays back to us to aid in our successful financial reorganization please accept tehse tickest for free as a token of our profound gratitude for your generosity. We will need all of our subscribers help again in the near future as we continue our careful rebuilding. Your future dedication to us as subscribers and donors is essential as we chart a responsible course for our new operations
So, I say to the Playhouse: Well done! This is how you rebuild relations. Depending on the next season, I’ll consider subscribing, especially if you do as the Colony Theatre does and provide an option for splitting the subscription payment into reasonable chunks.
