tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34128825.post3486526342284291963..comments2024-02-12T06:10:14.590-08:00Comments on Culture Shock: Oregon Ballet: A Gadfly's Viewculturejockhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14263465772349376129noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34128825.post-69774943806851346842009-06-04T22:09:05.097-07:002009-06-04T22:09:05.097-07:00I'm not thinking that mistakes were made at OB...I'm not thinking that mistakes were made at OBT -- unless optimism is a mistake these days. I suspect they decided to take a risk that investing in their product (for example, by increasing the commitment to live music) would pay off in increased ticket sales and, more importantly, a leap in donations. Then the recession gave them a bitch slap (sorry to be crude). <br /><br />On an unrelated note (not really) I just had drinks at the rooftop bar of The Nines hotel. That's another organization that took the "build it and they will come" risk and is now unable to make loan payments for awhile (and BTW, received hefty public subsidies to create an upscale spot catering mostly to the well-heeled). Oh, we had drinks with a friend whose hours working for Cascade AIDS have been cut back because of the economy, but she is lucky because she didn't get laid off like some co-workers. If you can afford to be charitable to OBT or any organization whose mission you support, this would be a good time to dig deep.MightyToyCannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14523823158706838012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34128825.post-6594519861006107902009-06-04T07:30:08.315-07:002009-06-04T07:30:08.315-07:00What a thought provoking post.
I am not a real fan...What a thought provoking post.<br />I am not a real fan of ballet (although I remain a fan of modern dance), but I realize what an important contribution this company makes to the greater Portland community & I admire OBT's international reputation. I have seen OBT in concert & I was very impressed. Do art institutions that put out an SOS & announce that they will perish without our much needed emergency money, need to disclose how that money will be immediatly used? I sorta think so.Stephenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05967985806955115917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34128825.post-30239049493010359792009-06-03T17:47:57.606-07:002009-06-03T17:47:57.606-07:00MTC, I think these are all good, honest questions ...MTC, I think these are all good, honest questions that deserve answering. And I think you're right -- potential deep-pocket donors are getting these answers, privately. The rest of us deserve them, too. Let's watch for Barry's reporting and get things as transparent as possible: My suspicion is that OBT has nothing to hide, so let's make that clear.<br /><br />My immediate reaction is, whatever mistakes might have occurred (and we don't know that there are any besides the tanking economy -- we DO know the company has a large and enthusiastic audience -- this is a one of the best performing groups in town, and it's in trouble, and we need to help it survive. At the level I'm able to give it's OK to give first and fill in the details later. But, yes, we DO need to know the details. Thanks for not letting this get lost in the rush of the fire engines.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13765688465211717384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34128825.post-36724822451349312852009-06-03T13:22:55.543-07:002009-06-03T13:22:55.543-07:00This is a welcome, deeper-discussion-provoking pie...This is a welcome, deeper-discussion-provoking piece, MTC. It has sent my brain several directions at once, and I will corral those thoughts soon for sharing...but wanted to give instant kudos for the use of one of my top five words: "schadenfreude." Thank you!cynseattlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03546172133271149911noreply@blogger.com