Money For The Arts Community

Enough of the border for a bit!

You had better get your tickets early or you will miss out. After all, the play's the thing.

I always wanted to be an theatrical impresario and produce plays in the community or be a producer in the movie business. Heck, I even did a movie outline once based on a personal experience but it never got very far unfortunately. I had planned that Tom Hanks was going to play me in the film too. Oh well.

I tell you this because I had this is really wild idea after reading a story in the newspaper the other week. I figured that this could be my claim to fame. Moreover, I would be able to help the Arts community by generating a very substantial sum of money for them. Now I haven't got it completely worked out yet but let me tell you where I am heading with all of this.

I am sure that you saw the story in the Star where the owners of the Junction are suing the City for $1.5 million. Included in that figure are amounts of $500,000 for bad faith, and $250,000 for punitive and exemplary damages. That would make the lawsuit really ugly if it went to trial since those are very serious allegations AND very fascinating as well as a dramatic story.

A key line in the story for my strategy for my idea is:

• "Mayor Eddie Francis took the unusual step of removing himself from the chair of the council meeting a year ago during a final debate on the Junction's fate in order to strongly oppose the restaurant's bid for a business permit."

That line makes the Mayor a key player in whatever happens. His action was so strange that it demands understanding why he did it.

I have not seen the court papers yet on this lawsuit so I don't know whether anyone other than the City is being sued. If people are being sued personally as well, that makes the lawsuit even more interesting and the story even more compelling. But if not, it really doesn't matter.

In case you have forgotten also, another person who might play a role in this file by the time it is over is our NDP MP, Brian Masse. Again as the Star reported:

• "Masse, who decided to enter the political arena on the heels of his fight against the Junction's plans for a mega bar more than a decade ago"

Tell me what you think of this idea.

Claudio Martini is the lawyer for the Junction. He is no pushover especially considering that he is the lawyer for the downtown bar, the Box Office sports bar. He already has a controversy with the City over the 4 a.m. mandatory closing bylaw. So you know that his questioning of City representatives in the Junction case will not be pleasant as the matter proceeds to trial.

Depending on how the case goes, it could well be that both Francis and Masse could be forced to attend Examinations for Discovery and give evidence and also appear as witnesses at trial.

Are you starting to see where I am headed with all of this? Can you feel the theatrical tension building considering who may be involved in whatever the Junction owner and his lawyer are planning? Lawsuits are like theatre in my experience.

Now here is what my idea is. Examinations for Discovery are generally held in private with just the lawyers and the person examined being in attendance. However, a transcript is prepared as questions are asked and answered. So far, we do not allow television cameras in the courtroom at trials in Ontario so that we can see the court process live but again, transcripts of the questioning at trial are prepared.

What I suggest the Arts community do is either rent the 5,000 seat Casino convention centre or the 6.500 seat East End arena or perhaps both, depending on demand, and immediately after the transcripts are prepared have actors read the transcripts as if it is a play. It should be done both for the Examination and trial. The transcript would serve as the script of the play. I am sure that they could sell out the tickets for the performance easily especially if Eddie and Brian were being examined.

It would be just as if we were a participant sitting in at the Discovery or at the trial watching every move being made. As if we were really there, like a fly on the wall (Oooops, that is another court case.)

The actors would play the part of the lawyers and witnesses. The lawyer-actor would ask the question and the witness-actor would answer it using the appropriate theatrical style based on the characteristics of the person being represented. It would be as real-life as possible!

In total we are looking at about 11,000 to 12,000 seats and with the drama that will be created, people would come in droves to watch the show. Now an Examination or the trial could last anywhere from four to six hours per day so probably the performance would start at around 6 p.m. and continue until 10 or 11 at night. During all of this time people would be eating and drinking so think of the concession sales as well. In passing, the Spits would make a fortune too at the arena for doing nothing because of the arena deal with the City.

The fun part in all of this, and the way to get the ticket sales booming, is to hold auditions for the parts of the various "stars." You've seen them on television so budding actors would be asked to apply for the role of Eddie Francis or Brian Masse or Claudio Martini or George Sofos. Clearly, someone will have to be the Judge as well but perhaps I can play that role!

We could have an American Idol type audition process where citizens would vote as to who the actor should be for each part. By the time the performance was ready to begin, there'd be so much demand for it that I could see the story being spread across North America. Movie rights, theatrical rights, TV rights... those could all be sold by the Arts community and would keep the various organizations in the black for years to come. Who knows, it might even help to reopen the Capitol Theatre too.

When the trial was over, the transcripts could be condensed to the length of a typical theatrical performance and could head to Broadway or the West End in London. Imagine the actor playing Eddie winning a "Tony" or the play being chosen as "Best Drama of the Year!"

Don't tell me that I don't have a "W" strapped onto my chest with an idea like this to put Windsor on the map. Perhaps the WEDC people when they head off to London at taxpayer expense in a few weeks could scout out a theatre for us!

If it worked for the Junction case, can you imagine the sales for the DRIC lawsuit by the City. The TicketMaster system could crash because of ticket demand. Who would play Dave Wake or David Estrin? Why the possibilities are endless in this City for lawsuits.

Lights, camera, action... I can hardly wait until this starts.