Englert's Kerchner resigns

Well, maybe now things will improve. I felt better when I heard Mike Partridge was the new President of the Englert as I know Mike and he was there from the beginning. I would have been really surprised if he didn't attempt to correct the no local groups can afford the Englert issue. Now we have the news that Eric Kerchner, who was constantly making it clear in his public comments that local groups were not a priority, has resigned. I hope this means things will get better.

Here's an interesting quote from the press release:

“...upcoming performances include the Iowa City Community Band, New Horizons Band, Iowa City String Orchestra, City Circle Acting Company, Young Footliters, Old Capitol Chorus, Greg Brown and Dave Zollo. We also have commitments from the Jazz Festival, ArtsFest and Arts Iowa City. And of course we plan to play a large part in Iowa City Community Theatre’s upcoming 50th anniversary season.”

City Circle, Young Footliters and the Iowa City Community Theatre? Really? Wow. That looks good to me.

EDITED TO ADD: Dweeze at Corn O'Copia posted about this, too. In it, he makes it clear that there are still lots of questions about the Footliters and ICCT performing at the Englert. We'll have to wait and see what happens.

Dweeze also suggests Justine Zimmer as a replacement for Kerchner. I agree wholeheartedly. If she's interested, she'd be a great choice as she was in it from the beginning and knows the community and the Englert. We trust her. Bring her back!