The theft is especially awful because ReAct is a big-hearted, generous organization that regularly donates the proceeds from its fringe productions to charity. Even an abbreviated list of its beneficiaries should make the calloused thief weep with shame: the Pride Foundation, the March of Dimes, Seattle Arts & Lectures, Theatre Puget Sound, the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, and on and on.
But God apparently hates do-gooders--this is the third time ReAct has been punished in the last two years. A 2003 break-in at the Bathhouse Theatre cost the company $3,000 in stolen concessions, camera equipment, and borrowed period props and costumes. Then the Fringe Festival folded, taking another $3,000 in unpaid ticket revenue from ReAct's pockets.
There were no signs of forced entry, and Hugo House only has two (known) keys to the raided dressing room: ReAct's stage manager had one, and the other was left, unlabelled, in a drawer at the front desk. Either the theft was an inside job or ReAct left the door unlocked and someone with idle curiosity and sticky fingers happened into the room and got lucky.
Hugo House has an open-door policy and has been a frequent target for thieves, who have stolen laptops, DVD players, a cell phone, and cash from the bar's tip jar. Between regular events and renters, anywhere from a hundred to thousands of people make their way through Hugo House each week. "We're here to support small arts organizations and we take this very seriously," said facilities manager Eldon Tam. "But we can't turn this into a fortress and still provide the kind of public access we want."
Detectives told ReAct Artistic Director David Hsieh that the chance of recovering the gear is slim, but they would make the rounds to local pawnshops to see if the stolen goods show up. Hsieh (who also directed The Shape of Things) was admirably philosophical about the loss. "Shit happens," he said. "We assumed our stuff would be safe, but we won't make that mistake again."
Police have not questioned Seattle theater critics, nor hostile audience members, both of whom have been suspiciously ambivalent about The Shape of Things. "Those slides were fucking awful!" said one local actor. "Whoever stole that slide projector did ReAct a favor, from an artistic perspective. But it's shitty to steal from arts groups."
Shitty indeed. So if you're a thief or a fence or one of the beneficiaries of ReAct's largesse, come to their closing weekend, throw a few bucks in the collection plate, and pray for the restoration of common civic decency.
