Here is the text of Snowlion Rep's letter, included in that book:
To: Governor Janet T. Mills
Greetings from Snowlion Repertory Company, a non-profit small professional theater company serving the greater Portland and Freeport regions, and soon to expand to the Boothbay region as the Boothbay Summer Theater!
Congratulations on winning a second term – we never had any doubt you would squarely beat our neighbor up the road in Edgecomb. 😊 Here in Boothbay Harbor, we live next door to a lobsterman, socialize with our real estate agent, and visit with the carpenter who renovated our kitchen, who also happens to be a First Selectman. The lives of a wide variety of Mainers intersect and are tightly interwoven, we have come to learn, and as a company that provides thought-provoking, socially relevant, and spiritually curious new works for the stage that are vastly entertaining, we regularly observe how the arts economy drives so much that is good about living in Maine. Our audience members come from all walks of life, our shows are cast as multi-ethnically as possible in Maine from a great reserve of talent, and our sponsors are businesses that range in focus from chiropractic to banking to retail to restaurants. They support us, we support them, and the arts economy continues to fuel the way life should be.
The economics of doing theater are somewhat ridiculous. One simply cannot mount shows of any quality, and pay people as we do, on the revenue from ticket sales. We depend on support from foundations and corporations, and of course from the government. We are proud that the Maine Arts Commission, the Maine Humanities Council, and the Maine Community Foundation are among our most stalwart grantors. Every dollar that's awarded by these and other supporters goes directly into the pockets of our actors, designers, and staff as stipends, with which they in turn pay for goods and services in the communities in which they live. A great web of economic flow is created every time we mount a production, and our shows are a reason for people to get out, go to restaurants and bars, shop and see new parts of town, and of course, laugh and learn and examine their lives, the way only a live performance of a new play or musical can make happen.
Governor Mills, we want to thank you for all you do for our state, and to encourage you to continue to support the arts. We are but one of many clamoring voices you must attend to, but we believe the arts, theater among them, bring joy and meaning and unforgettable experiences to those whose lives we all touch. Congratulations, and we cannot wait for the next four years!
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THANKS to all the great organizations who contributed, and thanks to David for his foresight and creativity in bringing the Arts to the Governor's attention!
