Support should be offered during auditorium closure

I was born and raised in Marin County. I now sit on the Board of Trustees of Marin Ballet and I have had several family members that have taken classes from Marin Ballet since its inception 60 years ago.

I read the recently published article about the upcoming closure of the Marin Center Veterans' Memorial Auditorium with interest (“Marin theater closure plan for seismic work distresses arts groups,” March 5).

Performing arts organizations were among the hardest hit during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, and they are still financially very fragile. A closure of the auditorium during the next year would be a big setback due to lost ticket income. For some organizations, it might be difficult, if not impossible, to recover.

The Marin Ballet trustees would like to request that Marin County officials take a hard look at whether we are getting maximum value from this closure instead of just addressing structural issues. With a little more planning and fundraising, we could reopen the facility with big improvements to customer safety and functionality.

In the event of a closure, performing arts organizations will need some financial assistance. The board would like to ask the county to develop a grant process that could allow affected organizations to apply. The board also thinks that the county should offer a deep discount in alternate theater space that Marin Center might be able to provide.

I'm glad the Marin IJ is covering this important issue. I look for a solution that allows for an improvement to our auditorium while supporting our arts community through closure-related hardships.