STEVE DUNKELBERGER: WHY DO WE HAVE TO HATE? >>>

I was out with my better half this weekend. We were celebrating our 10th anniversary, so I took her to a movie â€" with a large popcorn and everything. The Grand always has such great popcorn. (We don't get out much since we have two children and when we go out for my theater column the night is just more work than entertainment since I'm always taking notes during intermission.)

So we were chatting with an otherwise obnoxious couple about theater and film. They were actually hating on folks who go to the theater rather than to the movies since live theater is so expensive and boring compared to independent movies, they argued. I almost punched them in the face.

But it got me thinking. I have seen a lot of arts groups come and go over the years because their successes rested on the failures of others instead of generating new arts lovers. One theater would rise up at the expense of empty seats at another theater. There really isn't a coordinated effort to bring the soap of "the arts" to the unwashed masses out there who just sit in their houses watching Jerry Springer. Instead, arts groups operate like mini kingdoms instead of strategic alliances.

Let's unite! Theater and film folks, dancer and static artist â€" just keep the mime folks away. Those cats are freaks.