I had the great pleasure of performing the play THE GUYS with dear friend and fine actress Wendie Malick at the Buffalo Studio Arena as part of their annual fund raiser. The Guys is a tribute to the firemen who died at the World Trade Center during 9/11. We had the local firemen come on stage and do a talk back to the local Buffalo audience. Many of these brave firemen had worked down at 9/11 during the ten month clean up. To hear and see, and be a part of this event is something that I will never forget.

I was so proud to be on that stage as the community was informed about how their local firemen were effected by a tragedy hundreds of miles away from home. An event like this can only happen at a theatre like the Buffalo Studio Arena. For us to lose a theatre of this quality would be a lose to the entire area. For America to keep losing our cultural centers would be a scar on our country that might never heal. Please do all you can to help save this fine theatrical center, this fine community meeting place.

Greetings from Manhattan!

First of all, it gives me great pleasure to congratulate you on many years of some of the finest live theatre in the United States.

Long before I had the pleasure of visiting & working in your area, particularly Buffalo's Studio Arena, I'd always heard of the great Performing Arts community there. Studio Arena's fine reputation has been well established and highly regarded in our industry for many years.

In my career, I've been blessed to have worked as both actor & director in many of the most prestigious theatres across the country -- including Actor's Theatre of Louisville, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Chicago's Northlight Theatre, Virginia Stage Company to name a few. And I can say first hand that my experience in Buffalo during the 2005-2006 theatre season was, as they say: "the cream of the crop." Not only did I enjoy performing on the Studio Arena stage, but the Production team, stage hands & crew were the very best. The dedication & attention to detail by the entire team resulted in the success of our show. Not only are they all extremely talented, but genuinely fine folks as well. Sometimes rare in our business. I am honored to have worked with such great & gifted people who became my friends. Everyone made us all feel right at home.

I know I share the voice of many when I ask you all to make certain that the tradition continues there in Buffalo. You are so fortunate to have the quality of theatres you have & most of all the caliber of local people involved. PLEASE SUPPORT LIVE THEATRE IN BUFFALO! You may be down at the moment, but the integrity & talent is there. Don't allow the "ghost light" to burn too long!

Thank you for allowing me the pleasure of performing for you, and giving me great joy in working with the finest people in the theatre business. Here's to many great productions in the future. I love Buffalo! May I come back now?

I was born and raised in Buffalo. Like my grandmother before me, I caught the acting bug and started my training there. I have been so blessed to live my life as an actress.

Last year was thrilled to return to Buffalo and work at Studio Arena. Dan Lauria and I did 3 performances of "The Guys", Anne Nelson's beautiful play that honors the firefighters lost on 9/11.

It was so exciting to meet first time theatregoers afterword. The transformative power of live theatre cannot be denied.

Buffalo deserves a vibrant theatre. Please save Studio Arena.

We don't have to talk about the tremendously high quality of craftsmanship that goes into every Studio Arena production. Let's just talk about numbers...

Since 1994 five of my plays took their first breaths on the Studio Arena Stage: Over the Tavern, King o' the Moon, The Last Mass at St. Casimir's (formerly Lake Effect), Hail Mary! and Don't Talk to the Actors.

From here they've all gone, or are about to embark, on a journey of successful productions, large and small, all across this country.

I get the printouts from my agent and publisher, and these tell me that hundreds and hundreds of theatres have given employment to thousands of actors and technicians -- all because Studio Arena championed one playwright. Theatre playbills all over the country have carried the same line on their title page: First produced at Studio Arena Theatre. And who can estimate how many patrons have had positive experiences in the theatre? -- all because one playwright was encouraged and nurtured here in Buffalo.

This phenomenon of growth and expansion doesn't have to end with me. Studio Arena's fame and influence can spread with new playwrights who are ready and waiting in the wings for their voices to be heard.

The machinery is in place, the expertise is here and so is the spirit. All that's needed now are the dollars.

Studio Arena Theatre is a living, breathing and vital organism that speaks, nay shouts, about who you are as a city. It must be kept alive! Buffalo, it's up to you!

Studio Arena set a standard for quality since its inception. The students of the theatre school have gone on to lead productive and creative lives. I, myself, consider my years working at SAT as a major influence on my career, both as a writer and a producer. The loss of Studio Arena would be a sledgehammer to the cultural psyche of Buffalo.

I am writing in support of the efforts to keep Studio Arena Theatre as an important voice in the cultural life of Eastern New York.

This season, I was excited to be given the opportunity to finally work at Studio Arena as the resident scenic designer. I have worked in every other major theatre in Western New York and will attest that under the leadership of Kathleen Gaffney, the theatre is committed to high production values that are easily comparable surrounding regional theatres. I have tremendous respect for the endurance Kathleen Gaffney has extended to bring Studio Arena back on its feet. She has battled tirelessly to maintain quality with an eye to fiscal responsibility and is to be commended for her diligence and devotion to these goals.

Another aspect of the theatre that I am most impressed by is devotion the staff has to the theatre itself. The bond between the staff is unique and the relationships between everyone is almost familial. Under the restraints of the financial climate around them, the staff has worked as a team to bring to fruition the strongest productions they can. Many of the staff members have been around for a long time and they have gone out of their way to help those of us new to the theatre to feel welcome. Studio Arena Theatre is fortunate in having a staff that is of the highest caliber and who all believe strongly in the positive contribution the theatre makes to the Buffalo community.

I believe this institution to be worth fighting for and hope that support can be raised to continue to keep Studio Arena Theatre a producing, professional theatre company. Buffalo has a national reputation in the history of theatre and its community would be diminished if this Studio Arena were to close. It is likely that Buffalo would lose many theatre artists that are vital to keeping the current standard of high caliber professional productions.

People need to stop contemplating how the Studio Arena got to this point and now gather together to support and protect an important institution. I recently read that city of Buffalo is beginning to rebound from the decline it has experienced over the past number of years. Studio Arena is a vital part of urban life and the local thriving arts community and I hope that it can continue to play a part in the continued growth of this city.