Hey all,    

As I’ve had to say a number of times already, believe me, no one is more upset that Tuna has had to be rescheduled again than I am.  I know that a number of you are frustrated by this and I think that explaining how our relationship with the artists works might help you understand why and how situations like this can arise.

The simplest way I can explain it is this: when you come to see a show at the Hippodrome, you are not seeing a show that we have artistic control over.  We do not put the plays on, hire the actors, design the sets, etc.  The shows are independent packages that we hire to come to our venue, the Hippodrome.  We have a contract with them to ensure who is responsible for what.  In this case, part of the contract is a force majeure clause that covers a number of things that would make the performance impossible.  Among them is exactly what happened: catastrophic damage to costumes or properties.  Half of the costumes for the show were accidentally destroyed and without them, there really isn’t a show.  They tried everything they could to repair, rebuild, rent, and buy costumes to replace the lost ones, but in the end they didn’t have enough to put the show on.  Numerous theatres have been affected and their entire Spring tour is being re-routed because of this.

Of course, from the audience point of view, we at the WPAC are left holding the bag.  We’re the only people you deal with, so when a show has to be rescheduled, you look to us for a reason why.  I wish the answer were more clear, but please understand that we have not canceled the show on you, the show has been canceled on us.  We are just the entity responsible for ticketing and seating.  We ask your patience in helping us get through this situation.  Obviously, we can’t wait to actually get the show here and we hope to see you all there.

Tuna Does Vegas has been rescheduled for April 17-19, 2008.  That’s a Friday through Sunday just like we originally planned.  So if you had seats J-10+11 on Saturday night in January, you will still be able to have seats J-10+11 on Saturday night in April.  You can feel free to contact us here at the box office, or you can just expect a call from us shortly.  Hang on to your tickets until we get you replacements.  And if any of you are still confused and need to talk to me about it, please feel free to contact me here at the theatre any time.

 Scott Baker, Executive Director, Waco Performing Arts Company