On the morning of March 13, I stood in the wings at WFTS to promote Jobsite Theater’s opening night of “Doubt.” My phone buzzed and the message read “All operations at the Straz have been suspended.”
With those eight words, every bit of work that 12 of us did on the show was shelved. We thought at first it might just last a few weeks, maybe two months tops. We’re now going on month six.
98% of American artists have reported loss of income due to the pandemic, and over two-thirds of us are completely unemployed. We’ve now lost four complete productions and are waiting to see where new cases are to decide if it will become five. I’m not holding my breath.
We expect a loss this year in excess of $200,000. The majority of that would have gone into the pockets of regional artists. Theater isn’t cheap to produce, but the bulk of that expense is everyone’s time. Our two-act shows rehearse four weeks, shorter one-acts usually rehearse for three, and so we typically spend as much time creating the work as we do sharing it with audiences.
When folks buy a ticket, they’re not just paying for those few hours of the artists’ time but for all the time that went into making it something special. And, yes, I’m one of those folks who believes what we do – what we share in these dark little rooms – is something special.
Theater workers are not just devastated financially right now but also spiritually and emotionally. We’re non-essential. Theaters were among the first to shut down and we’ll surely be among the last to reopen.
Many of us are “pivoting.” We have recorded monologues in our homes or have joined others in their homes via Zoom for readings of plays or even to attempt fully-rehearsed and executed shows.
It’s not the same, not even close, but it’s all that some folks have. For artists, it’s an outlet and – if you can manage to find folks willing to pay for it – possibly income. It’s a way for us to stay connected to one another, artists and audiences.
Live theater is a dynamic, emergent and communal experience that simply cannot be properly rendered digitally. Even everyone who raved about the “Hamilton” film but has not yet actually been in “the room where it happens” is missing a key part of the experience. “Hamilton” also had the luxury of a week of filming across multiple performances with and without an audience to assemble what you saw after months of editing.
Film technique also isn’t theater technique – from acting to directing and beyond. Still, we’re doing our best. We have to. We have to make sure that artists survive financially until we can reopen and that organizations survive to hire them again. It’s terrifying.
We tried a few models of offering digital content on a tips-only basis, hoping folks would step up and kick in what they could. We know it’s not the same as seeing a full show in a theater, and we also know most everyone is hurting in some way right now. That didn’t work out – a disappointment, but unsurprising. As I said, we know a lot of folks are hurting. Folks also have a billion options to choose from that they either already subscribe to or are either free online.
At Jobsite, we’re rolling out our first offering that will exist purely behind a paywall. In one way I hate to do it that way, but I have to figure out a way to get folks paid until the theaters open at capacity. We also have big plans for an outdoor show in October where the audience will be socially distanced. We have plans ready to reopen the theater at reduced capacity when the case numbers come down. Our 100-seat theater gets cut down to 26 if we honor distance, but it’s something. It’s a start.
When folks ask what they can do to help right now, my answers come quickly. First, take care of your artists.
Pay for their work, tangible or digital. Show them their time and talent have worth. Even if it’s just a little something, it’s still something. Drop a tip in their Venmo or CashApp when they put those up. Buy something in their Etsy store. “Attaboys” and “You go, girls!” are great, but they don’t buy groceries.
It’s also important to show love to local organizations who employ and showcase these artists. Pick up a virtual ticket for a performance or event. Get a pass, a membership or become a donor. Buy some merchandise from their online store. These spaces may be closed right now but your show of support will help ensure they can reopen when the time is right.
And, finally, there’s the stuff that doesn’t cost anything but your time: interact with them online. Don’t just bang the like button and move along but drop a comment, tag a friend, share it in your own feed with a short statement of why you stand behind them. This sincerely helps others see us.
Oh, and of course, finally: wash your darned hands, quit touching your face, mask up if you’re going out and keep your distance so that we get this thing under control and so that people can get back to work. Stop being Florida, Florida!
David M. Jenkins is the Producing Artistic Director of Jobsite Theater, resident theater company at the Straz Center.
