Theater fans have seen me mention time and again the rise of cooperative spirit between South Sound theaters in recent years.

It hasn't been always the case, with theaters doing some shady things to each other as they battle for patrons, who can be otherwise distracted by Tivo, Netflix and Paris Hilton's latest reggae album.

Those days are over as theaters have bonded over verses of "Kumbaya" to take on the couch potato generation. First, the theaters in Tacoma held joint auditions and now they will be holding a "Free Theatre Night 2006" to showcase the talent the area has to offer. Tacoma Actors Guild, Lakewood Playhouse, Tacoma Little Theatre and Tacoma Musical Playhouse, will present a 20 minute scenes of their shows starting at 7 p.m. Oct. 19 at Tacoma Musical Playhouse, 7116 Sixth Ave.

TMP will do a scene from "Thoroughly Modern Millie," TLT will do numbers from "Dreamgirls," Lakewood will do songs from "Seussical the Musical," and TAG will do scenes from "Ya Got Trouble."

This gala event is part of a nation-wide Free Night of Theatre, a campaign conceived by the Theatre Communications Group and "Live Theatre Week," sponsored locally by Theater Puget Sound, both aimed at attracting new audiences to live theater.

For reservations, call (253) 565-6867. â€" Steve Dunkelberger