Save UTEP Dinner Theatre - A Cultural Gem in El Paso!

The Issue

The UTEP Dinner Theatre, a beloved institution in El Paso, TX, is facing the threat of closure. We, the concerned students, alumni, citizens of El Paso and supporters of the arts community, urge you to join us in saving this cultural gem that has been entertaining and enriching our community for over 40 years.

Rich Cultural Heritage:
The UTEP Dinner Theatre has been an integral part of our community's cultural landscape since its establishment in 1983. It has consistently provided high-quality theatrical productions that showcase local talent. Remarkably, the UTEP Dinner Theatre stands as a unique institution, with no parallel among university theaters nationwide. Losing this cherished venue would be a significant blow to our city's artistic heritage.

Educational Opportunities:
UTEP Dinner Theatre serves as an invaluable learning platform for aspiring actors and students interested in pursuing careers in performing arts or related fields. It offers scholarships and hands-on training opportunities for students at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), fostering their growth as future professionals within the entertainment industry.

Community Engagement:
This theatre is more than just a place to watch exceptional performances; it serves as a gathering space where people from diverse backgrounds come together to share memorable experiences through live entertainment. Countless families have created lasting memories attending shows at UTEP Dinner Theatre over the years.

We call upon the University of Texas at El Paso to come together and find sustainable solutions that will ensure the survival of UTEP Dinner Theatre; by investing in this institution, we can preserve our cultural heritage, provide educational opportunities for future generations, and continue fostering a vibrant arts scene in El Paso.

Please sign this petition and join us in the fight to Save the UTEP Dinner Theatre!

Together, we can make a difference and ensure that this treasured venue continues to shine brightly for years to come.

Sources:
- UTEP Dinner Theatre website: https://www.utep.edu/liberalarts/udt/

- Final curtain call: UTEP Dinner Theatre program to end this season: https://elpasomatters.org/2023/09/29/utep-dinner-theatre-greg-taylor-fbi-el-paso-electricity-rates/

avatar of the starter
Michael GutierrezPetition Starter
Media inquiries

4,925

The Issue

The UTEP Dinner Theatre, a beloved institution in El Paso, TX, is facing the threat of closure. We, the concerned students, alumni, citizens of El Paso and supporters of the arts community, urge you to join us in saving this cultural gem that has been entertaining and enriching our community for over 40 years.

Rich Cultural Heritage:
The UTEP Dinner Theatre has been an integral part of our community's cultural landscape since its establishment in 1983. It has consistently provided high-quality theatrical productions that showcase local talent. Remarkably, the UTEP Dinner Theatre stands as a unique institution, with no parallel among university theaters nationwide. Losing this cherished venue would be a significant blow to our city's artistic heritage.

Educational Opportunities:
UTEP Dinner Theatre serves as an invaluable learning platform for aspiring actors and students interested in pursuing careers in performing arts or related fields. It offers scholarships and hands-on training opportunities for students at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), fostering their growth as future professionals within the entertainment industry.

Community Engagement:
This theatre is more than just a place to watch exceptional performances; it serves as a gathering space where people from diverse backgrounds come together to share memorable experiences through live entertainment. Countless families have created lasting memories attending shows at UTEP Dinner Theatre over the years.

We call upon the University of Texas at El Paso to come together and find sustainable solutions that will ensure the survival of UTEP Dinner Theatre; by investing in this institution, we can preserve our cultural heritage, provide educational opportunities for future generations, and continue fostering a vibrant arts scene in El Paso.

Please sign this petition and join us in the fight to Save the UTEP Dinner Theatre!

Together, we can make a difference and ensure that this treasured venue continues to shine brightly for years to come.

Sources:
- UTEP Dinner Theatre website: https://www.utep.edu/liberalarts/udt/

- Final curtain call: UTEP Dinner Theatre program to end this season: https://elpasomatters.org/2023/09/29/utep-dinner-theatre-greg-taylor-fbi-el-paso-electricity-rates/

avatar of the starter
Michael GutierrezPetition Starter
Media inquiries

The Decision Makers

John Wiebe
John Wiebe
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (University of Texas at El Paso)
Responded
“Because you care about the future of UT El Paso’s musical productions, we wanted to take a moment to drop you a note to clarify the status of musical theater at UTEP. Musical theater at UTEP is not going away. The same professional-grade musicals, produced for decades by UTEP Dinner Theatre, will continue at UTEP for seasons to come. With a natural transition in leadership at the Dinner Theatre this semester, we believe now is the time to plan for the future of musical productions at UTEP. How can our efforts to create culturally-rich performances better advance UTEP’s educational and service missions? Over the next few months, the Dinner Theatre and the College of Liberal Arts, which oversees the Dinner Theatre, will be working to create a larger vision for musical productions at UTEP. Questions we are examining include: • How can we make sure UTEP’s theater arts students fully benefit from working with the professionals in the Dinner Theatre on these productions? How do we better integrate the productions into our theater curriculum? • How can we increase affordable access to the performing arts for both our students and the El Paso community at large? • What is the optimal internal structure at UTEP to provide sustainable support for musical theater moving forward? After we work through these and other questions, we will announce plans for the future of musical theater at UTEP. We will keep offering musical shows that will serve the goals of educating and preparing our students for future jobs in theater as well as providing entertainment of high quality to our audiences. Although we haven’t set a hard deadline, we expect this planning will take several months to complete. Musical theater lives at UTEP. We look forward to sharing plans for the future with our community as soon as they have been elaborated. Thank you for your continued support of the arts and of UTEP! Anadeli Bencomo, Ph.D. Dean, UTEP College of Liberal Arts John Wiebe, Ph.D. Provost”
Dr. Anadeli Bencomo
Dr. Anadeli Bencomo
Dean, College of Liberal Arts (University of Texas at El Paso)
Dr. Heather Wilson
Dr. Heather Wilson
President (University of Texas at El Paso)

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Petition created on October 3, 2023