This past week, I had a chance to talk with Victoria Soff, Executive Director of one of our great sponsors, the Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau. It’s better known on-line as Visit Crawford or www.visitcrawford.org. I actually visited the website and it’s a lot of fun! I also really enjoyed my discussion with Victoria, who greatly enlightened me to the value of local theater in tourism.
Why does Visit Crawford support MCT?
There are many reasons. It’s an important part of the community arts scene. The theater provides great opportunities for local residents to see and participate in shows. From a tourism perspective, it gives visitors another potential activity.
So local theater helps tourism?
Definitely. A key to a successful visit is for tourists to have a full itinerary, to stay busy and hopefully come back for more. Meadville has multiple theaters and that creates more great options for visitors. We can also provide incentives like ticket giveaways.
Do you have any background in theater?
I was actually on the MCT board for a while. I’ve never been an on-stage kind of person but really enjoyed helping produce performances.
Do you have any favorite shows?
I love Motown and the Temptations musical Ain’t Too Proud to Beg is just awesome. Phantom of the Opera and Wicked are not too far behind in my book.
Any other thoughts about MCT?
I love MCT’s greater social outreach, which also helps our efforts. I’m looking forward to publishing the new season schedule as soon as it comes out!
Thank you to Visit Crawford for being a corporate sponsor of Meadville Community Theatre.