The End of ARTS

   In case you missed the announcement, the governing board of the group known as Arts Resources for the Tri-State (ARTS) decided to close its doors right after the end of the group's final show, The Odd Couple.

    It's a sad ending for a group that held so much promise. ARTS was born in the late '90s from a great idea - that Huntington's different theatre groups would work together, sharing space in the old Huntington High School.

   That original concept didn't work out, but ARTS continued over the years, becoming one of Huntington's premiere community theatres.

   The group really took off in the last seven years under the leadership of president Bil Neal. They staged dozens of excellent shows - and then they tried something no one in the area had done before.

   They built a company of actors and directors that created a talent pool for each season. With a roster of great directors (and some outstanding guest directors taking part, too), and a "killer's row" of actors, ARTS was able to schedule a year's worth of shows at a time and use the company to cast the shows, run tech, build sets and make costumes.

   They managed an impressive mix of shows, from classic plays to beloved musicals, Broadway hits to obscure favorites, edgy dramas to unique interpretations of Shakespeare's works. It was an amazing run of shows and an impressive body of work.

   But in the past year, problems began to surface. ARTS had to stop using the big theatre space at the old Huntington High School when conditions in the space deteriorated. They staged all their shows in the smaller ballroom space, and were apparently looking for a better space to use.

   Add to that a recently-revealed lawsuit between ARTS and their "landlords," the Huntington Housing Development Corporation, and after more than 17 years of fighting the good fight, ARTS finally decided to throw in the towel.

   It's sad on many levels - it's a shame to lose a company that did so much great work, and provided an opportunity to so many talented performers in Huntington. The closing leaves the city with only two full-time community theatre groups - First Stage Theatre Company (the long-running children's theatre) and HART in the Park (the summer theatre group).

   But nature abhors a vacuum, and we certainly hope that all those talented performers will soon find a new home - but it's a shame to lose such a stellar organization.