High hopes for theater companies in new year

■ That talented performers and directors not get discouraged. This is a town noted for not appreciating the arts. I hope, though, that participants realize not only that the appreciation is growing (I can see it happening in the 23 years I’ve lived here), but that good work has its own reward. How often I’ve been in awe of an actor’s ability to dig deep into the soul of a character, and get me to think about my life in new, clearer ways. I’d hope that even the “ignored” thespian would be grateful for the gift he’s been given to touch the souls of “strangers in the dark.”

■ That local playhouses step up marketing efforts.

■ That those teaching marketing at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas consider encouraging their students to hook up with local theaters. And, while I’m dreaming, that our professional marketing firms each consider taking one theater under its wing as a service to the community.

■ That directors follow the example of Las Vegas Academy’s recent production of “Big River” and earn the audience’s tears by avoiding sentimentality.

■ That all theaters devote at least one program slot to a major drama. Nothing wrong with good comedy, but we’re being deprived of too many great serious scripts. We’re fortunate, though, to have a handful of brave troupes who fight the odds and bring us the likes of what we rarely see.

■ That the Nevada Conservatory Theatre continues to provide several plays per year that are classics but uncommercial for the average playhouse.

■ That local troupes further their efforts to unite.

■ That the College of Southern Nevada spend an entire year without featuring one performance by theater head Doug Baker or any member of his family.

■ That theaters explore efforts to make refreshments a bigger part of their income.

■ That the word “edgy” be banned from all press releases.

■ That directors stop actors from writing meaningless, cutesy bios in program notes, and tell us who they really are and what role they’re playing. The audience deserves the information, and the actor deserves the recognition.

■ And, on a personal note, that more theater folks come to realize that the critic is not the enemy, being ignored is.

It’s also an appropriate time to say thanks for all the joy so many productions brought me in 2011. At the risk of sounding mawkish, I think good theater is a form of church: a place where people gather and gain spiritual insights about themselves and others. Watching as simple an action as a man slipping on a banana peel can remind us that we are not alone in facing the challenges of being alive.

Cheers.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at vegastheaterchat@ aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.