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At the same time, with the country’s straitened economy, parties are reluctant to be seen to be making unfunded spending commitments on anything, including green initiatives.

It makes sense that the industry should want to express its gratitude for shows that have managed — particularly in these straitened times — to pull in audiences from outside the usual theatergoing demographic.

Fresh starts and reinvention have been a lure since the first gold seekers — the ones digging actual nuggets — flocked here from the more straitened and class-conscious East Coast.

The party’s straitened circumstances led to Iowa’s serendipitous place at the head of the political calendar.

Being an artistic director is an all-consuming responsibility, even more so in these straitened times.