ROCK SPRINGS – Is it a historical record or is it akin to spray-painted graffiti?
The signatures on a green room wall at the Broadway Theater, many of which list the casts of local productions that have taken place at the theater, may soon be painted over after Mayor Max Mickelson’s office recently received a complaint about the wall. No one attending Tuesday’s Rock Springs City Council meeting was aware of when the practice started, but performers and actors have been signing their names to the wall for years.
According to Chad Banks, the Rock Springs Urban Renewal Agency and Main Street manager, the tradition started between six and eight years ago. He said performers were invited to sign the wall by the Broadway Theater board. Banks said the practice is a tradition in the performing arts, with some buildings having more than 100 years of signatures written on their walls.
While Mickelson said he understands a tradition has developed amongst those who have performed at the theater, his concern is the fact that the city, which owns the building, cannot control what is written on the wall. For Mickelson, someone could come along and write a vulgar or profane message on the wall while signing their name to it and it would be as valid as the names already written there, saying the city couldn’t only paint over a vulgar section.
Additionally, both Mickelson and Councilman Rob Zotti note the fact the theater is city property and shouldn’t have been marked in the first place, with Mickelson saying the city won’t allow the Rock Springs Grizzlies hockey team to mark up the locker room at the Rock Springs Family Recreation Center. He said the situation would be different if the theater was a privately-owned building. Mickelson also said he wants to ensure the city follows the U.S. Constitution and apply rules fairly. However, there are those disagreeing with Mickelson’s assessment.
“It’s still art,” Actors’ Mission member Roy Hansen said.
Hansen said the names in the green room are part of the history of the theater and represent people paying homage to the facility. The Actors’ Mission’s Nina Tyler said the signatures are meant to honor the building, with vulgarity never having been written on the wall. Councilman Tim Robinson also defended the practice, saying other public structures such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Gum Wall in Seattle host similar traditions. He supports allowing performers to sign the wall.
“We need to be able to find a balance,” Robinson said.
Robinson also compared the practice to local sports teams painting logos on sidewalks, calling into question the legality of those logos appearing on city sidewalks. Paul Kauchich, the director of public works for the city, said sidewalks are on the city’s right-of-way and can only have house numbers painted on the curbs, but said people can opt to have those logos painted on their driveways or walkways leading into their homes.
Mickelson said he’s happy to meet with the residents and speak further about the wall and doesn’t support simply painting over it before the wall’s signatures can be documented and photographed.
