theconversation.com: You pass through a wide doorway to a large space with good air circulation. Inside, an usher behind a screen scans your ticket and sends you onward. Signs on the carpet direct you to the large auditorium, which is arranged in clusters of seats, one per household. In the middle of the room, the stage is set for a full orchestra. Tomorrow the same stage will be used for a theatrical production. The lights go dim; the music starts.
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This is article brings up an interesting perspective on what we will need to do as we go into the colder months of the year and need to move performances inside. This idea of a “super venue” where multiple companies and different displaces of performing arts merge together to have one singular space to create is an interesting one. It provides companies who wouldn’t be able to perform in their typical space a safe place to operate but as the article itself states they can’t do it alone. No company could rent out a conference center and adjust it as the article states on their own which in all cases means some sort of government interception. But the desire for them to step in simply doesn’t seem to be there. And honestly I can’t blame them. The logistics of this sort of “Art’s super center” sounds like the creation of a literal Covid-19 breeding ground. Bringing a new group of people every night even in the safest of environments still has the potential to spread the virus and combining different arts groups brings in a wider pool of people as well therefore effecting a large portion of the greater community. That’s what makes in person ideas like this so hard because there isn’t a perfect solution but we shouldn’t put all of our hope in the government bailing us out either.
I think this idea makes a lot of sense. I think arts companies need to work together in this time. We're all in the same industry and many have probably worked on the same productions before, so it would benefit everybody. I know that I have been craving a live theater experience since the pandemic began, so the idea that this is a possibility makes me very happy. Besides large theaters and orchestra halls, though, this could also easily include stadiums, which likely have far more seats, and although the seating arrangement wouldn't be perfect for an intimate play, larger musicals and concerts would still shine and be perfectly enjoyable. One snag that maybe come from a switch to a drastically different venue, however, is adjusting lighting, sound, choreography, and sets to fit the new environment. I believe this could also open up possibilities for new forms of favorite plays, like Hamilton in 360 degrees.
To be honest, the idea presented in this article is very scary to me: its plenty hard to trust people during this pandemic; to top that up, there is this idea to share spaces between different groups who can be from different places and could have interacted with a lot of people.
But that is just me. Despite my personal fear, it is really appreciable that in spite of all the uncertainties that this time presents, businesses are still trying to continue their work and keep their personnel employed. They are ready to work towards making such shareable places safe and sanitary- in a way to find a balance between work and health, and that too during the winter months, where things can be difficult as it is.
I hope that the efforts of everyone involved in this initiative are realized and that life can go back to the way it was a couple of months ago.
I do think that considering the gravity of the situation that the world has been thrown into... during this global pandemic..., bringing theater back is the least of my worries. But also as a theatre person myself, I 100% understand the appeal of wanting to get back into business ASAP. America is in a horrible state amidst this pandemic and I truly believe that if we bring theatre back, (along with other entertainment activities) the gravity of this citation will be lost and we will soon find ourselves in the middle of a 3rd (or maybe even 4th by then) wave.
Like I said though, also as a theatre person/theatre go-er, I understand the deep desire and craving to bring this industry back. I cannot wait for the day that I can attend a show comfortably again. But this pandemic can also prove to be beneficial in some ways. And as far as theatre goes, we have a wonderful opportunity to make it more accessible. Finding venues that can sustain proper circulation and the 6ft distance makes sense, but a hefty price tag on an already expensive craft feels meaningless.
Why don’t we seize this opportunity to explore the avenues of theatre and the internet? To make theatre more accessible to the lower and lower middle class…? Just a thought.
I think this article describes the next, most obvious step in the process to bring back live performance. That said, it is kind of a bad option. In the Chosky, which is a relatively small, intimate theatre (in the grand scheme of venues), directors and designers are nearly always building out as far as they can into the audience. They do this because the performers’ voices carry better when they are downstage of the proscenium and because getting the show physically closer to the audience tends to make it more energetic and impactful. Spreading the audience around so that they are even further from the stage will further exacerbate these issues. Although a deep investment in sound infrastructure could help, a recent drive-in theatre experience taught me that broadcasting a show over local speakers creates an insular experience that is greatly lacking. Not to mention that fewer audience members means less income, which means lower budget productions or higher ticket prices or both. Not fun, but probably necessary.
The argument of whether or not to bring theatre back is a substantial one. This article did a good job of highlighting the importance of reviving live entertainment, as well as the concerns that go along with it. On one hand, there are so many theatre makers out of work, which could kill the industry in the long run. However, we are also facing a global pandemic with many unknowns. I do think the idea of using concert halls as venues is interesting, and could open up a lot of ideas for design and production. Unfortunately, there is the issue of cost, which many small theaters simply can't afford. Making theatre right now seems unsustainable.
The article also highlighted the importance of bringing the arts together as a whole. It is crucial for the entertainment industry to stick together, and problem solve with one another.
Although I do think that bringing back theatre is very important and should happen as soon as possible, I think rather than conforming new spaces to produce the live theatre we have always known we as an industry need to reform the way we do theatre. This pandemic has allowed us to have a wakeup call in not only how we put on a show but also how diverse and accessible theatre truly is. I think rather than focusing on bringing back live theatre, for the time being we need to focus on new forms of theatre whether that be online or some other form. Currently the pandemic is at an all time high and rather than focusing on something that could potentially increase the spread and put a population that is at high risk in danger, the industry needs to find new ways to do this art form and take the time to advance the technology we currently have. In the article it points out that the majority of theatre goers are 65+ which is a problem to begin with, we need to find a way to attract younger audiences at this time not adjust entire venues to cater to the same audience theatre has always had.
This definitely brings up the debate of jobs or public safety being more important than the other. While I agree that using larger venues that have the means to accommodate distancing while remaining profitable for staff and companies, I also think that it by no means prevents the spread of COVID-19. It'd be very difficult to police several hundred people at a time to ensure that they are all following every guideline set in place to minimize the spread of the virus. Even if someone was caught taking their mask off or crowding around people and ejected from the event, all it takes is a single person disobeying for even the smallest amount of time to spark a flare-up. I would love nothing more than for theatre and the arts to return to form, especially with the alternative being nearly an entire industry being out of work and tens of thousands of people being out of work, but I don't think there is yet any safe way to do so. The only thought that comes to mind is that as opposed to purely digital events, shows and performances may be able to be produced on a stage and livestreamed to audiences who purchase ticket (albeit most likely at a lower cost, but you would be nearly limitless in how many tickets you could sell, given that you could sustain enough people watching the stream on a technical level). These would still need to be adapted to be produced on stage, as the chance could still remain for spread between cast and crew, and masks really couldn't be worn while performing on stage, but if it's done responsibly, I think that number of people would be much easier to maintain in a single space.
This article reads almost from a point of desperation. The performing industry has, at this point, run out of options for how to carry out live theatre in a space that would resemble that which they originally worked from. These "super venues" do seem like the only option left for truly live performance arts. What I think interested me the most about this article was the call for government and local authorities to get involved in the creation of these spaces. I'm not sure if I quite understand this, as it is my belief that it's up to the owners of these large venues and the theatre companies and orchestras that wish to play there to "strike a deal", per se, about how to use the space. Furthermore, it is then the theatre/orchestra's responsibility to find some transformative way to utilize their usual spaces. This was touched on in the article as well, and I think that the general rule of things is that everything is moving up in terms of space required. Orchestras and plays need huge venues, while smaller performances, small lecture halls, and community meetings could take place in the spaces that are now empty. All-in-all, it's a time of accommodation more than anything, and I'm excited to see what kind of results can come from clever collaboration.
(Chloe Cohen: cgcohen@andrew.cmu.edu) I particularly loved the simile used in this article, comparing theatre-making online to “giving plastic food to the hungry.” Aside from that, I seriously question the economics of the strategies the author is suggesting. If venues were to open, large theatre productions would want to continue with the big-budget sets, lights, etc. they were working with before. A production that was up and running before the lockdown is not going to want to sacrifice its technical components- that the designers worked tirelessly to create- so that they can make money. In order to maintain the wages those working in the theatre were making before, ticket prices would have to be insurmountable to make up for the capacity lost. Imagine how much a Hamilton ticket would cost, considering it could start at upwards of $800 normally. The demographic most likely to be able to afford tickets that expensive are also least likely to risk attending the theatre.
One of the most important things to consider in determining what can become a new performance space is how long we are going to exist in these regulations. To transform any large scale conference center into a performance space would be a significant investment, one that only makes sense if we are going to be unable to create live in person theater for the foreseeable future. With Dr. Fauci suggesting that live performance will not be a possibility again until late 2021, it does seem that we are in this for the foreseeable future. However, this goes against our desire to be optimistic, and to picture ourselves diving back into the work. I think it is unfortunately unlikely that new performance venues will be developed any time soon, and unfortunately when people are ready to invest in these spaces, it will be “too close” to when we are ready for a full reopening.
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