Reply from the Director:
Although I don't think we'll be bringing Derby Dinner fav JR Stuart back as Mark Twain back to the PAC anytime soon, he does have a couple of other characters up his sleeve (Harry Truman, Charles Dickens) that might be of interest to local patrons. Anyone interested???

Reply from the Director:
Although there was a board at the gift store table with the cast list, a listing was not provided for the prgoram. My apologies. Not having such a list has become one of the ways that the PAC and in this case the company producing Church Basement Ladies are cutting back on expenses.

Reply from the Director:
The Northern dialect can be difficult to understand under the best of conditions but I understand that the sound was a bit garbled as well. Rest assured we are aware of the problem and are working to correct it.

Reply from the Director:
Not certain what puppet performance is being referenced. There actually haven't been any puppet productions this season. I do agree that it is difficult to find the right balance of events that appeal to both adults and children in any given season. I think you'll be pleased with the mix of events planned for next season.

Reply from the Director:
Although CBL has been very popular, not every show is for evryone. I hope the next event you come to will be more to your liking. If not, come find me during intermission. Perhaps together we can determine what events you would like to see at the PAC.

Reply from the Director:
Sorry. As this was the last show of the season, there just wasn't any news about upcoming events - as there are none. We should be announcing our new season in May. It will begin in August.

Reply from the Director:
Very interesting. We actually recently changed our intermission policy to allow MORE time as previously people complained of not having enough time to socialize, enjoy a snack and make use of the facilities. In the coming years, we hope to be adding intermission activities that will further encourage our audience members to socialize and enjoy not only the play itself but the event of seeing the play with others.

Reply from the Director:
I don't like standing in long lines either. I particularly don't like SEEING others stand in long lines at the PAC. This is one of the reasons why all PAC events are reserved seating and why we are working with groups that rent the PAC to consider doing the same.

Reply from the Director:
We're working on it. Our big problem now is that we have to wait for the PAC's schedule to clear so that we can get the time we need in the space to make repairs.

Reply from the Director:
You are not alone. Please see my other comments about this. I'm glad it pleased so many people.

Reply from the Director:
This problem could be a culmination of factors including the northern dialect of the characters and our sound system not operating at its full potential. Thank you for your observation.

Reply from the Director:
As difficult as school nights are, they are often the only nights that we can afford to bring in these won derful touring groups. You see, we can bring a show like CBL in on a weeknight for a fraction of the cost to bring in the same group on a Friday or Saturday. Having several weeknight events each season is also one of the reasons we start events at 7pm instead of 8pm as many theatres do.

Reply from the Director:
Wednesdays were mentioned by several audience members as particularly difficult. I am working with CBL to see what our options might be for future performances.

Reply from the Director:
Actually many church groups were in attendance at CBL last season and this season as well but I certainly understand your dilemma and am taking it under consideration.

Reply from the Director:
Me too. I have a mortage to pay.

Reply from the Director:
Jenny, thanks for your input. Although our records show that we serve a nine county region, we really do need to do more to reach those eight neighboring counties. Suggestions on how to do so are VERY welcome.

Reply from the Director:
AS I mentioned to another critic. We also would've liked to have included an insert about this event to our program but no information from the orchestra was provided.

Reply from the Director:
You bring up two very interwoven issues that have affected us greatly this season. First, that the marketing techniques that we have been using successfully for many years are reaching fewer and fewer people. Second, attendance is way down at the PAC. This is related to the marketing problem but also the economy in general. We are in the process of expanding our marketing trends into new fields like Facebook and are looking into old style marketing techniques like posters, flyers, and - yes - even billboards. As far as seeing more events like this at the PAC that is becoming more and more difficult as state funding evaporates (a grant from the Kentucky Arts Council paid for half of the Disney event but cannot do so again due to state cutbacks) and the loss of local partnerships (First Federal donated a quarter of the funds necessary but has decided against contributing next season due to other commitments) along with dwindling ticket sales make for a bleak performing arts future.

Reply from the Director:
Good Question - succinctly put. Please see the answer to the other anonymous critic on this subject.

Reply from the Director:
Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. It really disturbs me to see people waiting in line and we do everything we can to open the doors to the theatre as soon as we possibly can. Little did I realize that one of the issues adding to this problem was a typo on our tickets! The LOBBY doors open one hour prior to performance. The THEATRE doors open a half hour prior to performance. Since your tickets read
Doors open at 5:00PM
they were very misleading. We are correcting this for all future ticket printings to read
Theatre doors open [insert: 1/2 hr prior to perf].
Again, thank you so much for bringing this oversight to our attention!

Reply from the Director:
So do we.

Reply from the Director:
Sound levels are truly unique to each individual. What seems too loud to me is just right for someone half my age. One of the features of the PAC that may have been of help to you is our audio magnification system. These headphones would have amplified the singers' vocals for you. They are available at our box office upon request. It is also difficult to adjust sound levels when no one (other than the singers) is being amplified mechanically. Of course the shell amplifies the orchestra as do the natural acoustics of the facility but none of these physical features can be as easily manipulated as turning up a microphone. Microphones can only be turned up to a certain level before causing feedback. All that being said, we are about half way through our new sound upgrade with a new larger soundboard and new microphones just added. Soon new speakers for the audience and better monitors for the performers will be added with optimal sound reproduction the rule for all performances. So come back again please. I think you'll
see
our sound getting better and better.

Reply from the Director:
Howdy neighbor!

Reply from the Director:
So do we. Unfortunately, one was not provided to us to in turn provide to you for this event.

Reply from the Director:
Trust me. We are aware and we are working on it.

Reply from the Director:
Although we are compliant with accessibility legislation there is so much more we wish we could afford to do to accomodate guests such as yourself.

Reply from the Director:
We too would have loved to have had a daytime performance however Montatna Rep were unable to fit that option into their very busy schedule.

Reply from the Director:
yes, that's something to consider.

Reply from the Director:
They would huh? Hmmm.....

Reply from the Director:
I couldn't agree more and it is one of the few acoustic imperfections of the facility. We are in the process of re-evaluating our sound system and think you will see a great improvement coming this fall.

Reply from the Director:
Just as we had done last year, we had planned a party at Barnes & Noble on Saturday but it had to be cancelled due to the bad weather.

Reply from the Director:
Thanks for your input. I hope you noticed that we got this correcdted in time for the second performance.

Reply from the Director:
We really already consider the ticket price for MCT as a reduced ticket price when compared to our other productions. While the $20 participation fee for MCT is pretty reasonable compared to the cost of afterschool day care for a week, the majority of the tickets for these productions are cheaper than what it would cost to take the family out for a movie - and that's a movie not starring your very own child at that.

Reply from the Director:
Even during these trying eceonomic times, we are trying to make certain that a family of four can come to the PAC for the same or less than it costs to go see a movie.

Reply from the Director:
Many questioned the amount of time it took to process
at door
sales for The Nutcracker this year. we were able to ascertain that over 200 tickets were sold in under 10 minutes. That's 20 tix a minute which is pretty fast UNLESS of course you are standing in line with grandma and a child and just came in from the cold.

Reply from the Director:
Thanks. It is always great to here from folks who come down to see us from Louisville. It is wonderful to hear that you are contributing to Fund for the Arts but it is important to note that the PAC nor any other arts organizations outside of Louisville are supported through those funds. If you like what you see at a local venue, support them locally.

Reply from the Director:
We are definitely hampered by the size of our front lobby and placement of our box office. That being said, we were also not pleased with the traffic control during the event and will be working with vendors next year to create just as you said a
smoother flow.

Reply from the Director:
Every time we receive a complaint about ticketing we thoroughly investigate it to solve the issue. I am not certain what trouble you may ahve had but the two main culprits we find our people who double click on the
Accept
button or people that try to order tickets within 24 hours of an eventr when advanced sales are no longer permitted.

Reply from the Director:
I've already spoken with Ms. Boozer but thought I'd share with our online readers that there are three dance schools in our area. All three eagerly welcome young men interested in learning how to dance. They are Allegro Dacne Theatre, Center Stage Dance, and The Dance Centre of Elizabethtown.

Reply from the Director:
Although I can understand your concern ma'am, to do so would be restrictive to the dancer's movement. It is interesting to note that the dress for ballet although relatively unchanged for hundreds of years can still in these modern times be scandalous and provactive to some and yet totally acceptible to others.

Reply from the Director:
Wouldn't it! Sadly, although we have looked into it (with high hopes of having a live orchestra for the Nurtcracker for our 10th season) it simply is not an affordable option for us particularly with the recent budget cuts to the Kentucky Arts Council. These cuts have eliminated the Arts on Tour Grant which was a 50% subsidy for bringing in live orchestral music to the PAC. Very sad.

Reply from the Director:
You may have missed it, but before every PAC event, a pre-recorded announcement reminds audience members to review the
for your saftey and comfort
section in the program. There are so many things to tell the audience before a show (and I talk to much before hand already!) that we began listing information such as where to meet performers in this section of the program.

Reply from the Director:
I couldn't agree more. We hope to correct this problem the next time The Nutcracker is presented.

Reply from the Director:
We are seeing your thoughts reflected in our ticket sales and are investigating how we might be able to produce more productions featuring local talent.

Reply from the Director:
Thanks for sharing your disappointment. Although we try to bring events with mass appeal, it is inevitable that not everyone will like every show. The show in question, CSI:Live, was a departure for us in that it was not a
book
show but entirely an education based production. As such, we are reassessing whether or not a show like this should only be presented as a school time performance and not part of our public offerings.

Reply from the Director:
Although assigned or reserved seating is the norm for all PAC produced programming, it can be quite laborious. For this reason, it is not available for student performances but is offered for an additional fee to rental groups.

Reply from the Director:
Thanks. Considering the price of gas and of ticket prices in louisville, we try to make the PAC an economic entertanment alternative.

Reply from the Director:
Thanks. We have definitely seen a downturn in ticket sales this season and are looking into the reasons for this decline.

Reply from the Director:
I didn't write that last review. I swear.

Reply from the Director:
You are not alone. Sound is the main issue we continue to wrestle with at the PAC but we just had a new evaluation of our system and are planning some major improvements in the near future.

Reply from the Director:
One bad apple, heh? The PAC could not survive without the help of its volunteer ushers all of whom go through training. That being said, we all have our bad days as well as our good and perhaps this usher was not having a good day. In the future, should you have any difficulties with any PAC personnel, please ask for me and I'll be happy to look into your problem.

Reply from the Director:
Although KRT's production of Dracula was sparsely attended, we were relieved to see such nice crowds for their production of Christmas Belles. My favorite line was
God HELP us everyone.