There was some troubling news in the Canadian arts community this week with the announcement the Stratford Festival has decided to put the entire 2020 season on hold.
The word came Monday morning from Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino, Executive Director Anita Gaffney and Board Chair Carol Stephenson. In a press release the three expressed obvious regret for the decision, and acknowledged it is devastating news for both the Festival and the City of Stratford.
Not only does it put on hold the entire season for the time being, but also the planned opening this season of the new Tom Patterson Theatre. That being said, I think most would agree they would rather wait for a more auspicious time to celebrate the opening of a new venue rather than right after the pandemic has ended. That might not be a view shared by others but for me, leave it until next year to unveil the new venue and make the whole season a real celebration.
There are obvious repercussions from the announcement, of course. Earlier in the season about 500 Festival workers both on stage and off were laid off indefinitely due to the pandemic, and they will now likely lose their entire season's work as well. Beyond that, the Festival is an economic engine for the entire region, driving about $135-million in economic activity each and every year. It is no exaggeration to say that, like in Niagara-on-the-Lake with the Shaw Festival, thousands of people and literally hundreds of business owners rely on both Festivals for their livelihood.
For Stratford, they note in their release this week they have not ruled out the possibility of mounting specially-scheduled fall or holiday programming if and when public health conditions allow. Still and all, it will never make up for the shortfall in revenue the season would otherwise generate for both the Festival and the City of Stratford.
It is a bitter pill, to be sure, and there will be more to come. But at the end, whenever that may be, the Arts will help us all to heel and recover from the current situation.
Meantime over at the Shaw Festival, it was also reported this week by esteemed arts reporter John Law in the Niagara Falls Review layoff notices have finally been sent out by the Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Not the entire company, mind you, as some are currently working from home or other remote locations while taking a 25-per-cent wage cut.
The Festival has continued to pay its 400 members through the pandemic but as of now, about 20 part-time and seasonal workers have received layoff notices. While acting ensemble members are still rehearsing at home and still receiving 100 per-cent of their pay, there is an escape clause for the Festival if they need it.
Executive Director Tim Jennings told John Law the company has now instituted a two-week notice to terminate their contracts for this season, although he hopes to extend it each week as the season progresses. Not great news for the acting company but really, it appears to be the only option available at the moment short of terminating all their contracts outright.
Unlike Stratford, Shaw has not cancelled their entire season yet. They are still going with a shortened season planned to start up again at the beginning of July, pending public health announcements that will allow such gatherings at that point as well.
There could be another delay in the season beyond that but no-one is saying anything yet, and cancelling the season outright as was done this week in Stratford is not in the cards at the present time, it seems.
So far only one show has been cancelled outright, "Mahabharata", a collaboration between Shaw and Toronto's Why Not Theatre.
Finally this week, the #NiagaraPerforms livestream series developed by the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre in downtown St. Catharines continues with another two weeks of performances announced on Thursday.
The series launch earlier this month has been quite successful, all things considered, with more than 8,000 livestream patrons viewing the series to date. It is a modest start but an important one, as those staying at home are exploring other options for entertainment at this time. FirstOntario PAC has stepped up to the plate with some innovative programming to keep people connected and entertained during the pandemic.
Tomorrow afternoon at 4, multi-award-winning roots and blues singer Suzie Vinnick will perform in the Hear! Here! Niagara Music Series, at the sponsor B4 Networks' Fonthill boardroom. Next Thursday at 7 pm, local jazz artists Juliet Dunn and Peter Shea of the TD Niagara Jazz Festival will share music from their home studio in the north end of St. Catharines. Next Sunday, May 10th, Spencer Burton will perform from his home in Fenwick, and on Thursday, May 14th Carousel Players' Artistic Director Monica Dufault will share a reading of Peg and the Yeti by Kenneth Oppell. The 7 pm reading will be followed by a demonstration of how to make your own Yeti craft at home.
All of the Hear! Here! Niagara Music Series performances are available for viewing through the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre's website and YouTube channels.
Things may not be perfect right now, but the arts community is showing their collective resilience and creativity in so many ways at the moment. And when this is all over, to quote William Shakespeare himself, we'll look forward to a time when we can "live, and pray, and sing, and tell old tales, and laugh."
That time for many of us can't come soon enough.
Have a great weekend and keep well!
May 2nd, 2020.
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