there are few things that justify a comparison to the middle east

And a theatre ensemble is decidedly not one of them.

I'm not sure why he felt the need to compare a simple process discussion to daily terrorism and a longstanding war. I have decided not to respond to his treatise simply because I do not think I hold enough organizational weight to call him to the carpet on his gross misinterpretation. Moreover, his doomsday threats failed in the one thing he asked for - new ideas. Beyond his grave tone and dire comparisons, he asked only for the things that have already been discussed and dismissed. Asking people to forgive (again) is pointless... what we all need is somewhere to go and something to do, two things he utterly failed to address.

I do believe our group will be around in 20 months. Monday's meeting was tense at times and downright comical at others, but overall the attitude was positive. Some key players chose not to speak on Monday - I believe that was a mistake. They perpetuate the back-room dealing that must be abolished immediately.

The group needs a new style of participatory decision-making appropriate to its size, budget, and current staffing (especially considering the unfilled Artistic Director post). My vision for this is a consensus-based ensemble responsible for artistic decisions, an input-driven staff for business decisions, and a board helping to unite the two with ultimate oversight but little day-to-day interaction.