John Carnahan

Dear CPR,

Blues! This is very dismaying.

As an outsider to Wales, I don't know what prejudices might be involved here -- North vs South, big vs small, theatre vs performance, and so on. I wonder if it's the same kind of thinking that is trying to cut maternity care at Bronglais hospital. I suspect 'front-line activity' means not 'avant-garde' but 'show with a big line in front of it' (which the CPR has delivered, many times). Whatever -- it's a dumb move in the eyes of anyone who has seen how a small organization can also be a world-class attraction.

The CPR is central to my experience of Wales. It is a large part of what keeps me coming to Wales, and the idea of remaining there is less attractive to me as an artist without the CPR's consistent presence, without its archive, its shows, its classes, and its marvelous staff. Its steady, active presence in the community is what draws me and other Californians, like Jess Curtis and Guillermo Gomez-Pena. I can't imagine it doing as well on a piecemeal basis.

I urge the ACW to reconsider this decision, which would be a disservice to Aberystwyth and its university, to Wales, and to a global network of performers, students, and scholars.

John Carnahan