will also commemorate the Center’s 10th anniversary season. “If we don’t plan it now, then it won’t happen,” McDermott said. “We know we will have to make adjustments, but our goal is for it to be our biggest and best year ever. We’re assuming that social distancing will apply, which limits the audience, so many of the artists that we’re working with have agreed to do two shows for the price of one so it becomes easier for us to absorb some of the financial hits. We’ve got to be in position to bounce back quickly, which is why I’ve been insistent that we can’t shut down. It will take a long time to start the engine back up, so while it’s been purring and not roaring, the engine is still running.”
The Civic Theatre The Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre has survived more than a century’s worth of economic downturns and national crisis. And it plans on emerging from this pandemic stronger than ever before, but, again, that outcome will be determined by its ability to adapt and the ongoing support of its patrons and donors. Executive Artistic Director Michael J. Lasley spoke with me about what the Civic is doing to persevere through this most challenging year that has doused the house lights, leaving only a ghost light to fill an otherwise desolate Knebel Stage in the Tarkington. “It’s the nature of our business to work 60-, 70-, 80- and 90-hour weeks most of the year, burning the candle at both ends,” Lasley said. “And then it was like the brakes were suddenly put on and everything just stopped. We had to reinvent ourselves and learn new skills. We’re pretty adaptable as theater artists, but to suddenly be thrust into becoming internet producers and TV producers and whatever else we’re trying to figure out— and make it all happen overnight—has been exhausting for all of us. We’ve had to develop an entire new set of skills in what’s felt like 48 hours at times.” Lasley shared that as the lockdown was going into effect, the Civic was three hours from opening “A Few Good Men”
and the subsequent shows that had to be canceled thereafter. The Civic quickly pivoted its programming to virtual classes and experiences, like their fellow resident companies. But until working and proven therapeutics and vaccines are available to the general public, Lasley isn’t convinced that the 500-seat theater will see near- or at-capacity audiences in the immediate future. “I told my staff not to count on the 98% capacity that we had for “Elf” in December of 2019 until December of 2024,” Lasley stated. “Until there are therapeutics and vaccines, it’s important that we don’t just cease to exist. We have to find ways to stay relevant, even if we’re just clawing to the edge of relevant for a short period of time. I worry about us as an organization. We’re 105 years old, and I tell myself every morning, ‘Please, God, not on my watch.’” Lasley continued, “I am optimistic as we’re looking at our various options for the holidays. We are looking at doing a short 35- to 45-minute show aimed at children that we can do multiple performances with a small house that is socially distanced and while following the guidelines. And I can tell you that one way or the other, “Elf” is going to be available for streaming—if not this year’s production, it will be our production from last year. We’re excited about that.” The Civic does have productions scheduled for the first half of 2021 and is looking at offering streaming opportunities in addition to offering a grossly reduced
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number of in-person tickets to adhere to the social-distancing guidelines. “I really believe that it’s going to be the local theaters and local arts that will come back first before the [national] tours and back before Broadway,” Lasley expressed. “We don’t have the financial realities that they have, and I think we have the commitment of our community. I really believe that our community will help us survive. But without their support, we may not be there on the other side of this.”
Carmel Symphony Orchestra Like their fellow resident companies, CSO had to quickly reinvent itself and redefine its purpose throughout the pandemic. CSO Artistic Director Janna Hymes shared what CSO did to pivot and to keep its musicians playing and to provide a needed injection of culture and civility through music. “We had a concert on a Saturday in March and were told a few days before that the Palladium was going to be closed [due to COVID-19],” Hymes recalled. “Up until that moment, we had been going, going, going, and then suddenly, we ran into a brick wall. The first thing I did was take a deep breath and thought that I’ve got to get these musicians playing or doing something, whether it’s through digital or virtual means, because [playing] is not only how they express themselves, it’s how they pay their bills and feed their families.” CSO went into “emergency mode” and started producing videos and interviews with CSO musicians. It even hosted a virtual online summer camp for audiences of
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