Even in SIP, the Raven is entertaining
EDITOR: While the Healdsburg Performing Arts Theater — better known to our community as the Raven — is closed for on-site audiences, we’re busy planning for the future and creating events that you can enjoy today. Musicians, actors, comics, and more are antsy to get back on stage, and we are making “soft” plans for them to entertain our community as soon as it’s safe.
In the meantime, in our efforts to keep the Raven thriving and connected to the community, we have several virtual events in the works, available on our website, Facebook page, and Instagram feed. We started with our Virtual Variety Show which ended in April and saw dozens of local performers submit a short video of them singing, dancing, or acting — and sometimes all three!
We’re currently creating a series of “radio play” versions of original works and Shakespeare plays titled Raven Players Plays-in-Place. Our premiere offering is “Macbeth,” airing in early May.
Now playing on Facebook and Instagram is our play-at-home acting game, Understudy. We post videos of Raven Player actors preforming one character in famous two-person scenes from Shakespeare. Viewers download the script for the scene and get to perform the other character opposite our virtual Raven Player. Scenes from “Macbeth” and “Much Ado About Nothing “are up now, with more coming.
We also have weekly Facebook Live videos, including Cocktails with the Artistic Director, a chance to enjoy sip-in-place cocktails with Steven David Martin while talks about Raven virtual events, as well as season update. (every Thursday at 5:30 p.m.).
Like all arts centers, and nonprofit organizations in general, we need public support to continue our efforts to enrich our community. The Raven has been a key part of our local culture for decades, and with your help we can continue bringing you enriching entertainment — even when we’re Sheltering in Place. We miss you and look forward to seeing you again.
Raven Board of Directors
Tom Brand, Executive Director
Steven David Martin, Raven Players Artistic Director
Healdsburg
Let’s try planning, for a change
EDITOR: Once again, the city of Healdsburg has put out a call for “qualified applicants” to fill two potential vacancies on the planning commission. Next to the city council itself, this is probably the most important governing body in the city, given the scope of its work. Yet, once again, council has failed to make the selection process either transparent or efficient, by not making those qualifications, beyond residency, public information.
After last year’s go ‘round, where a list of qualifications was recited at the city council meeting after all applicants were interviewed, one would think city council, itself, would try some planning. Obviously, when making the selections for planning commission (as well as other commissions) City council has a set of qualifications, experiences or characteristics they are seeking in potential commission members. The city should enumerate and publicize these qualifications, making the process a lot more transparent to the community. There is still time for council to take up this topic, invite community input and arrive at a set of desired qualifications.
Making these qualifications public also makes the process more efficient, by limiting the number of applicants who feel they fulfill all or most of the qualifications, thus reducing the onerous burden of members of council interviewing and meeting interested citizens.
There are numerous venues where such a “job description” could be made public, ranging from the city website to the city manager’s Friday missive to The Healdsburg Tribune, Nextdoor Healdsburg, Healdsburg Patch and other online media. This would ensure that the message was received by most of the community, and not just those who happen upon the city website.
The city council talks a lot about planning. Here is a chance for council members to prove that they can actually engage in a bit of planning, in terms of listing the desired qualifications for planning commissioners. Such a process, undertaken before interviewing this year’s crop of applicants, will go a long way in terms of transparency, efficiency and building trust with the community.
Charlie Duffy
Healdsburg
