On November 7th, Rhode Islanders will vote whether or not to change the Rhode Island Constitution. Approval of Ballot Question 1 will allow the Narragansett Indians to move forward with their plans to build a Casino in West Warwick, RI, 13 miles south of Providence.
J.L. "Lynn" Singleton, who is president of the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) believes that a large Rhode Island casino with showrooms "would bring down the curtain" on PPAC. In an Op-Ed piece that was published in the Providence Journal on October 18th, Singleton offered a grim picture of a future where PPAC has to compete with Harrah's and its "comped": entertainment: "It would not be sudden, but rather a slow and painful death. There would be an insidious spread that would begin with the loss of of performers to Harrah's new showroom...PPAC would be just another part of the collateral damage that Harrah's would inflict statewide."
With two of the largest casinos in the country (Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun) already in easy driving distance, it is unclear whether or not the other downtown theaters are also nervous about the possibility of another large casino with performance space opening. The Board of Directors of Trinity Repertory Company, in Providence "has decided to take no position on the question, pro or con." The Providence Black Repertory, also in downtown Providence, "won't be taking a position on the Casino question..."
In the Op-Ed, Singleton laid out a bleak scenario, if the casino is built. "PPAC would desperately need...financial support...Suddenly, PPAC would be the cause of the moment, and would be...competing head-on with other nonprofits across the board. That is definitely something to think about it you are on the board or a supporter of Trinity Rep, WaterFire, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Festival Ballet, Opera Providence, Providence Black Rep, Perishable Theatre or AS220. No one would remain unscathed."
When asked about his Op-Ed, and its rather post-apocalyptic tone, Singleton said that it is Harrah's no-bid deal that bothers him most. During his meetings with casino proponents, Singleton could not get assurances that the casino would not be hosting touring companies of Broadway shows or imposing geographical restrictions for those shows. Harrah's could, feasibly, restrict a show that played their casino in West Warwick from being presented anywhere else in Rhode Island. Touring shows are mainstays at PPAC and have helped the theater draw more than 400,000 patrons annually into DownCity. "Letting a casino replicate PPAC and the Convention Center [just] 13 miles away would be incredibly harmful to the Downtown Providence renaissance.", said Singleton.
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