LINDA STEPHENS

I want to add my thoughts to the idea of having Milwaukee Theatre Awards.

I think I have about 8 or 9 acting awards from 4 different cities.

Not only have they done nothing for me personally in terms of getting the next work, they've actually hurt me sometimes. People think anything from "Oh, she thinks she's better than us", to "Oh, she's too good for us, we could never get her."

But apart from the personal affect of award winning, is the reason they exist in the first place....to bring people into the theatre by making them more aware of the theatre. They're theatre advertisements.

If they succeed in raising awareness in some small way, they also succeed in creating a "caste" system in the community...those who win become "better" which means those who don't win are "not as good." And, audiences can be swayed to believe in the award given, and not their own sensibilities.

I really believe it's an unhealthy proposition for a theatre community as comparatively healthy as this one. To ask the community to compete for awards, will change the nature of what Milwaukee has, which is unique. It is familial -- no it's not one happy family. But, I feel a lot of genuine caring in this theatre community. And, no matter the company, the work here is, at its least, well-crafted, and at its best brilliant.

Milwaukee is already "special." Don't let awards try to "fix" what "ain't broke".