Arthur Oldham II

November 9, 2008

Palm Beach Town Council
360 South County Road
Palm Beach, FL 33480

Dear Council Members,

I urge you to think of Palm Beach as a unique haven, rather than just another Florida community where condos rule the roost. If the Playhouse goes, why not the Flagler Museum? Surely there is a developer who can find a way to shrink Flagler for the right to install residential units.

The Playhouse, like Palm Beach, is a gem. I grew up in New York City and worked there for some years, so I have attended almost every theatre there. I also lived in London for a year and visited a majority of those theatres. But our Playhouse stands at the top of the list when you consider its many outstanding features, which include sighting, acoustics, seating comfort, and appropriate size for so many of our best plays that were not written for stadium-size settings.

I have one actor friend, James Karen*, who began his career on Broadway and has played in our Playhouse twice. He tells me his heart would be broken to hear the Playhouse was lost.

Mine too.

Sincerely yours,

Art Oldham II
Palm Beach, Florida

*His films include Wall Street, Jagged Edge, and The Pursuit of Happiness.