A Love Letter to Flat Rock Playhouse
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Photos by Suzanne Camarata
Dear Playhouse:
When we heard about your agonizing decision to close down the 2020 season, we were incredibly disappointed. The realization that we would not spend another delightful season together broke our hearts.
The necessity of your decision was clear. Still, the announcement stung and left us feeling adrift. Flat Rock Playhouse is the beating heart of the village we love, and the decision to close your doors opened a gaping hole in our hearts. The curtain came down on our anticipation. The lights went out on our excitement for your blockbuster season.
By chance, this past week we found ourselves watching as your employees assembled on the main stage for a final photo together before you were compelled by the pandemic to furlough most of your staff. Arrayed on the stage before us were real people whose lives have been suddenly and unexpectedly upended. Good souls who are losing more than just their jobs. They are losing their community. They are losing their driving purpose. They are losing the passion that sustains them in this life.
It was then that the self-absorption of our initial reaction to your painful decision became obvious. Whatever disappointment or sense of loss we feel because of the closure, it pales by comparison to the loss experienced by everyone who works at the Playhouse.
After the photos, friends shared a few final words, punctuated with bittersweet smiles, and then began to drift away. Even amidst the crushing disappointment, the love your staff feels for theater and Flat Rock Playhouse, in particular, was palpable. The tears glistening in the corner of their eyes, and tell-tale cracks in their voices betrayed the visceral pain. Being present for such a raw and vulnerable moment, it was impossible not to be moved by the overwhelming sense of loss and uncertainty.
If you looked and listened closely, however, you could also hear in their voices and see in their teary eyes that the Playhouse is not done. Yes, the flame is out for now. But the embers of their passion for theater burn hot, and we could still feel the heat of their creative and indomitable spirit. We left feeling certain that the flame will be reignited, and when it does it will burn hotter and brighter than ever.
Indeed, if our home of Flat Rock is to retain its identity, the Playhouse must continue on. Your beautiful theater is inextricably connected to our sense of self. It is where we gather to laugh and cry and tap are toes and reflect on the meaning of our lives. It is where we return to celebrate that place we call home.
For seven decades, you have committed your lives to us. Now it is our opportunity to reciprocate that love.
It is our turn to pave the path for your successful return with our encouragement, our gifts, and most of all, our absolute belief that you will get through this awful time. We owe you an immeasurable debt of gratitude and we promise to be with you every step of the way as you work to reopen your doors and pull back the curtain on a season of renewal and rebirth.
To all our friends at the Playhouse, please know this: We will walk this difficult path with you. And when you return - whenever that might be - we will be on the front row of a standing ovation to thank you for everything you have so selflessly given to our community through the years. Together again, we will all celebrate as Flat Rock Playhouse embarks on the next amazing chapter in its long and storied history.
Until then, stay safe, stay strong, and know that our hearts are with you always.
With sincere admiration and affection,
All of Flat Rock … Together
