Theatres Across Atlantic Canada Working To Get Back On Stage
ATLANTIC CANADA – The arts sector across Canada and the world has been hit hard because of Covid-19. Many performers are jobless, and theatres are struggling to stay afloat.
“In New Brunswick, we’ve had absolutely no help from the government,” said Marc-André Charron, the artistic director of the Satellite Théâtre in Moncton.
“What they called relief money, was actually money that was going to be helping further down the line.”
Three Atlantic Canadian theatres are trying to build the performance scene back up again in very different ways.
When Covid-19 hit for the Capitol Theatre in Moncton, they had just wrapped up their winter musical and they were at the height of their spring season.
“And just then, [we] started to understand the gravity of the situation and how much more long term this suspension would be,” said managing director Kim Rayworth.
Rayworth said most ticket holders retained their tickets rather than opting for a refund or credit.
This summer, the Capitol Theatre summer camps were able to operate under the same guidelines as daycares. They were able to host about 130 kids over four weeks in the summer.
The Capitol reduced their seating capacity to 295 seats, but just recently, the province announced people could be seated one meter apart rather than two.
But as of right now, they will not be changing to one-meter apart seating, mainly because patrons must wear a mask while seated.
“You can imagine during a live performance in a dark hall, it would be difficult for us to be sure that everyone’s adhering to those guidelines,” Rayworth said.
“As a venue, and as a public space, we really do have a responsibility to make sure that our guests are following the guidelines.”
Rayworth wants their guests to have as normal as an experience as possible when they come to see a show. She wants them to be able to have a drink or a snack while in their seats but that can’t happen if masks are mandatory.
While some Atlantic Canadian theatres are keeping their doors closed for the fall season, as of right now, the Capitol plans to host local artists this year.
“So having been given the possibility of programming artists from within the four Atlantic provinces, that provides us with talent and with art that we can program.”
The Satellite Théâtre in Moncton
Upon the coronavirus shutdown, the Satellite Théâtre had to cancel a new festival that they were planning to announce in the coming days. They cancelled shows, workshops, and international guests.
“[It’s] something that we’ve been working on for over a year now,” said Charron. “So, that was a bit of a punch in the gut.”
They also had a new studio that was going to be open to the public, but that couldn’t happen either.
So the Satellite decided to start a web series with radio plays and video artistry. Charron said they tried to think of something that wasn’t just doing theatre from a kitchen or living room, but something that could possibly be put up in a gallery someday.
“The web series was a way for us to fight isolation and [the] mental exhaustion of just running in circles,” said Charron.
The web series also allowed them to reach out to artists to work within the New Brunswick theatre landscape.
“You never get to call 20 different artists that are writing stuff and say, ‘hey, can I invite you into this festival of things?’” Charron said.
“This allowed us to touch bases with a lot of people that we find super interesting.”
Because of their small space, the Satellite cannot open for an indoor season. The Covid restrictions make the space almost unusable for presentations, but it’s currently being used as a creative lab.
Charron said they have a touring show this year. Most of the tour was cancelled but they look forward to hopefully having it presented at more local theatres and in front of smaller audiences.
He even mentioned the idea of having outdoor performances.
“We are a production- and creation-based company, not a presentation-based company,” said Charron. “So it made more sense for us to think more in terms of what this could mean artistically.”
Highland Arts Theatre in Sydney
The Highland Arts Theatre (HAT) found themselves blown away when Covid-19 first hit. Within the first few weeks, they had almost $200,000 of ticket refunds for shows this year.
“We were projected to lose about a million dollars of revenue over the course of the year,” said Wesley Colford, the artistic director of the HAT. “We were looking at being bankrupt definitely before the end of the year.”
They said some sort of radical change was needed. So they introduced “Radical Access.”
Radical Access combines ideas they’ve been thinking about for six years along with some new ideas.
“This is not the time to be safe, there is no safe. So, let’s really be outrageous and try to make a change for the better – for the future, not just to survive.”
The HAT normally puts on 12 mainstage productions, selling tickets and season ticket packages throughout the year. Radical Access changes their model and instead, they started asking the community for monthly charitable donations with pledge goals and an ultimate goal of $50,000.
“If we got 100 percent of the goal, all 12 mainstage productions will be free of charge for anyone in the community regardless of their donation, regardless of their financial status, regardless how many tickets they want, they can book online for free, and come and enjoy a night in the theatre.”
As of August 26, they raised 44,050 dollars, roughly 88 per cent of their goal completed.
So far, they’ve put on two productions all within Covid guidelines and having a maximum of two people on stage.
Colford said they were somewhat inspired by some U.S. theatres that had been successful, but there’s been really no other Canadian theatres who have tried out this exact model.
The HAT even held a telethon where one couple pledged to match every donation made at the telethon.
“From my perspective, theatre is something that everybody should be able to afford,” Colford said.
“It’s not something that should be reserved for the elite class or people in a certain economic bracket.”
Given that Covid-19 restrictions remain the same, there will be three more mainstage productions planned for October through December. If the $50,000 goal is reached, they will be completely free for anyone in the community.
This Friday at 8 pm, to make theatre even more accessible, the HAT will be live-streaming on their Facebook and Youtube platforms the performance of their free mainstage production, “John and Jen.”
Colford hopes that other theatres in the Maritimes will see what they’ve done and follow suit.
They are concerned that if a bigger theatre like the HAT was in so much trouble, that more isolated, smaller theatres, are in even more trouble.
“If anyone can draw from what we’ve done and use that as an example, that would be my greatest wish.”