Dear Community,
One week ago we shared our grief and stood in solidarity with the victims of the mass shooting in Georgia. We are deeply saddened as we sit down to write to you again about the mass shooting that took place yesterday in our home city of Boulder, CO.
Many of you were in Boulder on Monday, at the King Soopers market or in one of the shops or restaurants nearby. Some of you lost someone you knew personally. At Local Theater Company, we lost a fellow theater artist and Local Lab volunteer, Suzanne Fountain. We are also mourning the loss of Teri Leiker, who our stage manager knew and fondly remembers from the historic Boulder Dushanbe Tea House. Our hearts are with the families of Suzanne, Teri and Tralona Bartkowiak, Kevin Mahoney, Lynn Murray, Rikki Olds, Neven Stanisic, Denny Stong, Eric Talley and Jody Waters.
We reach out to you this evening as fellow community members to share that we are suffering. We are here to hold space for your grief, suffering, and anger.
Last year, our Artistic Director Pesha Rudnick’s best friend sent us a wonderful book. Pesha revisited it on Monday evening as we were trying to make sense of this tragedy. How We Show Up by Mia Birdsong reminds of us of our inherent connectedness as human beings and members of a community. Through research, interviews and stories of lived experience, Ms. Birdsong invites us to return to finding strength, safety and support in vulnerability and generosity. We suggest it to you as a resource that might be helpful at this difficult time.
You can support the victims’ families by donating to this go fund me campaign.
Or you can support them through one of these funds:
The Colorado Healing Fund https://www.coloradohealingfund.org/
The Community Foundation Boulder County Crisis Fund https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=2S8Z6XVC58AKU
If you or someone you know needs support, Mental Health Partners https://www.mhpcolorado.org/crisis/ provides a 24/7 crisis link and is also available at 1-844-493-TALK
Love,
Your Local Theater Company community
