I've had mixed feelings about talking about the Hippodrome the past few weeks. On the one hand, I'm obviously very sad about the recent events including its closure at the end of this season. But on the other hand, I'm endlessly encouraged by how many people have responded with a desire to help, pitch in, and do what they can to get the doors open again.

And there's been news too! The theatre is going to finish out its remaining shows. They just hosted 100 Years of Broadway last Friday, and they still have The Little Engine That Could and The Three Redneck Tenors coming up. Also, contrary to some rumors, the organization is by no means dissolving or closing permanently. As of now, the decision is that they will be dark next year. Beyond that nothing has been decided. And to me, that sounds like opportunity.

See, I've been having great conversations with many people since posting my series on the Hippodrome. In fact, I've had the opportunity to really test my thoughts and theories. And I've found that I came up short in some of my thinking. So I've been working on a new major proposal for the Hippodrome going forward.

I stand by my diagnosis of the problems and the over-arching solutions. What is really needed is greater civic involvement, broader buy-in, greater patronage, and a commitment from the City and civic stakeholders towards meaningful cultural development. And a modern City-owned PAC that can meet the needs of large-scale performances for sizable audiences is an ultimate goal that must be worked towards tirelessly until its completion. But where I fell short was in my proposal for the Hippodrome Theatre itself. I found that it was not only incomplete, but highly unsatisfying. What I failed to do on a most basic level was propose something immediately actionable.

I'm pleased to say that after bouncing some ideas around and rethinking some basic premises that I have something better. Over the rest of this week, I'll be laying out a comprehensive step-by-step plan for what can be done right now for the Arts in Waco. And at the end of the plan, I hope to have laid out a successful case for how the Hippodrome can stay under the WPAC's ownership and management, get completely renovated, become a home for all of Waco's various non-profit Arts groups, and operate in the black while continuing to work towards helping Waco build a modern PAC.

I'm also working on something else very big that I should be able to announce by the end of the week. I hope you'll enjoy the reading and offer comments and criticism along the way. Like I said in the title of this post, this is why we talk. We help each other improve our ideas. If you live in Waco, I hope you'll be equipped and inspired to action. If you don't, I hope you'll find some ideas here that are worth pondering as you think about the Arts in your community. Have a good week!