Editors note: Wally and Maria Hurst are not speaking for Lakeland Theatre Company in this article, Mr. Hurst informed rrspin.com, but as theater professionals. 

In a scathing letter, Lakeland Theatre Company directors said they have no interest in temporarily running the Roanoke Rapids Theatre.

The letter was included in the requests for proposals to run the venue which were due Friday. Elizabeth Price Branham and Russell Collins did submit proposals.

The letter is signed by Wally and Maria Hurst and begins, “Roanoke Rapids, with this request, confirms that no matter what they say, they are in the theater business.”

The letter says the city will approve all events, tell the respondents how many events to present a month and specify Class A artists, “Which is nowhere defined in the request. The request even specifies the amount of marketing and advertising money to be spent on each artist — $2,000.

“You are in fact in the business of running a theater, whatever you may say. And this request is, in our opinion, just asking for more failed management and further diminution in the value of this property.”

The Hursts say the venue has an extremely minimal fair market value because it has no viable client base and it has no history of presenting great events. “It would seem to me that, like an investor buying a run down property or a house with a bad history, the idea with the Roanoke Rapids Theater should be to build up its equity by establishing it as an entertainment destination for locals and tourists, bringing in a variety of regional and national entertainers and diverse entertainment options.”

The letter says the theater has no equity built and a huge lack of confidence surrounds it.

The Hursts say the city is clear it wants a management firm that will risk its own money to bring in acts and market shows for an unspecified share of net profits. “What this request says to me is that the management firm selected will be risking their money while adhering to your guidelines and your decision making — which may be made by people without significant theatre or entertainment knowledge. That is a risky proposition in restoring the theatre.”

The letter says the request is a contract for an independent contractor, “To put on some shows that you want presented while taking some of the risk off the city. Like the last two management firms you have entered into agreements with, this request cuts off your nose to spite your face by not recognizing a fundamental truth: You need a management team that has experience and both local and national contacts to build up the lost equity of the Roanoke Rapids Theatre.”

By the request, the letter says, the city has, “Resigned yourselves to more possible exploitation by out of town hucksters and charlatans out to make a buck without having any theatre management experience, much less loyalty, to the area or its citizens.

“We would ask that you acknowledge you are in the theater business and find competent, experienced help in turning this white elephant into the crown jewel of the Roanoke Valley. We cannot be a part of that transformation based on the guidelines set down.”