Cultured Council

I experienced something interesting yesterday evening! I attended my first-ever city council meeting. (I only stayed for part of it, but...it's a start.)

Why was I there? Waterloo mayor Brenda Halloran wished to recognize members of the Kitchener Waterloo Little Theatre for their award-winning production of the Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood. Check out the video:

(Yes, that's me in there. Thanks to Chris for filming the second half of that video so I could go up with the rest of them.) Anyway. Immediately following our presentation was a report from the Creative Enterprise Initiative CEO Heather Sinclair. She's been on the job for a mere two and a half weeks, but it sounds like she's been busy! (Be sure to check out the website to see what this organization is all about.) She said one thing last night that really rang true for me: one comment she has heard most from Waterloo Region residents is that there is "no culture" in this area. But she and I agree that is not the case. This area DOES have a vibrant and rich arts culture...one thing we need to do is find a way to communicate all the exciting things to the potential audience members.

As someone who spends countless hours trying to contribute to the "culture" of this Region (both as an individual artist, a member of a community theatre organization AND a member of a band) it really pains me to hear people say there's nothing cultural going on around here.