In 2003, summer just won’t be the same in Albert Lea.

With Minnesota Festival Theatre, the professional theater that has been staging high-quality shows in Albert Lea for almost 20 years, in financial trouble, the stage will be silent at the Albert Lea Civic Theater for the first time in two decades. It’s a big cultural blow to the city.

The important thing now is to find a way to get MFT back on its feet. Money and volunteers are the keys to doing it.

The theater has more than $40,000 in debts to pay, and will need to have additional money if organizers want to get another season going in the future. Aside from money, the efforts of volunteers will be important in getting things turned around. The non-profit organization is run by volunteers.

It’s up to the community to show how much it values this unique entertainment experience and keep the summer theater tradition alive.

This isn’t a mission just for arts enthusiasts; anybody who wants to see high-quality entertainment options that enrich Albert Lea’s quality of life should be concerned about the future of Minnesota Festival Theatre.

Just as those who started this professional theater program worked hard to make their dream come true, more hard work will now be needed to keep the dream from dissolving. People who care about arts, and about Albert Lea, should refuse to let this be the end of MFT. It will be much easier to rescue the theater program now than to get a new one started down the road.

Tax-deductible donations may be sent to MFT at P.O. Box 1134, Albert Lea.