Today I received an email from Julie Jacobson who informed me and the theatre community that ‘neighborhood opposition’ could lose Spooky Action Theater their home in the Universalist National Memorial Church in Dupont Circle. This is ‘the house that Richard Henrich built,’ and I ask my theatregoing friends and our theatre community – as does Julie in her letter below – to rally around Richard and this wonderful theater by writing letters and emails of support and sending them to Richard Henrich at [email protected], or by mailing them to:
Richard Henrich
810 16th St, NW,
Washington, DC 20009-3304
Here’s Julie Jacobson’s letter:
Dear theatre community,
Spooky Action, the theatre company located at 1810 16th St in the basement of the Universalist National Memorial Church, is facing losing its space due to neighborhood opposition. It’s hard to understand why this Dupont Circle neighborhood that is home to Theater J, Keegan, Studio, and Constellation at the Source Theatre would not support Spooky Action but the theatre needs to present its case to the Advisory Neighborhood Commission in November and the Board of Zoning Adjustment in December (in order to obtain permission to use the church).
As Richard Henrich, the artistic director, wrote, “To my knowledge it is primarily (perhaps only) a single neighbor who objects to our audience members walking in front of and along side his town house. If we can show the majority of the community supports our relatively small operation and sees us as adding value to the neighborhood, the ANC and the Zoning Board will almost certainly vote in favor of the required variance.”
It would be very helpful if we all wrote a note of support for the theatre, touching on its value for the neighborhood. I don’t have to tell you the added amenity cultural destinations bring to an area, much less the revenue they contribute to local merchants and restaurants.
Please send your letters either to Richard Henrich, the artistic director of Spooky Action, at the above email or snail mail to 1810 16th St, NW, WDC 20009-3304. Call Spooky Action at (202) 248-0301 if you have additional questions, and please circulate the message as widely as possible.
BTW, the current show, Reckless, through 10/28 is a very entertaining, well-written, wonderfully acted dark comedy.
Thank you,
Julie Jacobson
So let’s all rally behind Spooky Action Theater and Richard Heinrich. Let’s be there for him when he arrives at the Advisory Neighborhood Commission in November, and the Board of Zoning Adjustment in December. And let’s all write a letter of support and thanks.
