a letter to you

Dear Friends,

We’ve been dreading writing this message to you for some time. 

We (Ben and Amanda), together with DA’s remarkable Board of Directors, have made the decision to permanently close the doors at DalekoArts at the end of this season, June 30th, 2023.

DalekoArts is not in financial trouble — we have worked very hard to be responsible with the resources you’ve entrusted to us, and we have been careful not to work beyond our means. We will finish the season very close to the margin (as is the case most seasons), but there is no crisis here. We want you to know that the organization has been managed well. The painful truth is that it’s just time. We have worked for over a decade to grow a tiny theatre company (started with founding ensemble Chris, Tom, Tony, Lizzie, Bobby, Abbee, and Patrick) from almost nothing to an arts organization with a nearly quarter million dollar budget. The challenges of overseeing a changing theatrical landscape, a community struggling with a pandemic, and the ethics of fighting to pay humans what they’re worth have been no small feat for a group of two and their astonishing family, friends, and volunteers. A mighty group of artists (including that founding ensemble) and lovers of the arts have worked 12-16 hour days for years to make DA go. We hope you will receive this with grace: it’s time for a new chapter.

We know that this will come as a shock to some of you. We want you to know that we did not make this decision in haste or without tremendous heartache. You have given of your time, your resources, and your hearts to make DalekoArts what it is, and none of the hundreds of artists who stood on our stages will ever forget it. You were a part of a movement that raised ~$1,000,000 in total for artists and their work, and saw a full decade of performances in music, theatre, and the performing arts.

The truth is this: DalekoArts was born, and raised, in love. It will be put to rest with no less love than when it was created. We love this work, we love this art form, and we love you. More than we ever knew possible.

Tickets are already on sale for our final production: the bluegrass musical Bright Star, with a truly glorious cast. Please come see the show. Please bring friends who might have enjoyed DA, or who made memories here. Help us blow the lid off this finale in the best way we know.

We hope you will continue to love and support the arts through all of your days, and that you’ll welcome any future artists to New Prague the way you welcomed us. And we hope you’ll support other theatre organizations in their beautiful work and effort. If you spent your time or money with us, please think about using those same resources to support theatre and the arts in your community. You have been our reason and our inspiration. In true theatre artist fashion, we hope you’ll look with us toward a future filled with art, hope, empathy, and love. 

With our deepest gratitude, and all our hearts,
Ben, Amanda, and the DalekoArts Board of Directors

opening of the Prague Theater, season 3