In this Chapter, Rosemary wanted to talk with leaders of Albany's unusually dynamic theater community about escape and make believe, but Patrick White and Chris Foster, the organizers of a unique Festival of Theater happening this summer, men who don't own a TV and watch plays every night of the week,  say live theater demands engagement, community involvement and public debate of controversy ad issues. You aren't just seeing a play, you are making a statement about values. A fantastic look at the importance of drama in our lives.

Patrick White is a Capital Region "theatre maker" with more than 45 years experience acting, directing, producing, reviewing, and podcasting. He attends 300 shows a year. He has worked at nearly all the Capital Region theatres,  teaches an adult acting class at the Albany Barn, and  is a co-founder of Harbinger which has produced 14 Capital Region premieres in three years. White is also president of the Capital Region Festival of Theatre which will celebrate the 100+ theatres in Albany and its surrounding cities, towns and hamlets.

Chris Foster  is the director of the Harbinger Theatre and secretary of the Capital Regional Festival of Theatre. He has directed numerous productions at the Harbinger theatre, Curtain Call Theatre, the Schenectady Civic Playhouse, the Albany Civic Theater and the Actor's Collaborative. His acting credits include: Ben Butler, In the Heat of the Night, Destroying David, The Normal Heart, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, Time Stands Still, Turn of the Screw, Clever Little Lies, The Night Alive, Urinetown, Tigers Be Still, Opus, On the Twentieth Century, Bill W & Dr. Bob, The Andersonville Trial, Urinetown, and Sunday in the Park with George. He holds a BA in theater from Cal State University at Long Beach and an MFA from Penn State.