I recently attended the 75th Anniversary gala of a venerable volunteer theater organization that I was very active in before starting a professional theater company in 1995. I attended with some trepidation, because I knew that I would be thrust into an unpredictable gathering of lapsed friends, former romantic interests, admirers, rivals, critics, resentful targets of my criticism, people I owed apologies to and people who should apologize to me. The event was well-organized and brought off without a hitch, despite the potential tensions that might have arisen from generational schisms; the attendees ranged from group legends in their 90s to current active members from Gen Z. To my genuine surprise, exemplary ethics were on display. almost uniformly.

To wit:

1. Despite the fact that almost everyone in attendance lives in the Greater Washington D.C. area, there were no political or partisan outbursts at all! None. Nor were there any political discussions that I was party to or encountered, though with over a hundred attendees I was obviously not privy to every stray comment. I found this amazing. These are show biz types, overwhelmingly left-leaning, Trump Deranged, and bubble-dwelling. Another large reunion event I attended last fall was rife with partisan grandstanding and political exclamations, both from podiums and in conversations. Those were all lawyers, however. If a group of volunteer theater artists can manage this, why can’t the Oscars, the Tonys, the Emmys and the Grammys? How hard is it to keep an event with a clearly delineated purpose on topic without injecting a source of conflict that will divide a group that has good reason to be welcoming and inclusive?

There is hope.

2. I wore a tuxedo, and, amazingly, I was the only one, although many of the women wore formal gowns. Okay, maybe its is old-fashioned, but to me, the way you show respect at an event like that is to dress formally.