Voice of OC Highlights the Crisis of Covid-19 on the Arts Sector
In the first 2 months of 2019, performing arts groups were operating like usual within their seasons.
“Then the world changed. Like countless other aspects of life that we thought of as permanent and reliable, going to a venue and watching people act, sing, dance or play an instrument now seem like memories from a distant past.”
“The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on America’s cultural world has been sudden and profound. Its economic impact on the arts and culture industry across the nation is estimated to be about $4.5 billion to date.”
Without a doubt, the effects of Covid-19 are already being felt. “The past month has been really rough,” said Casey Long, managing director of Chance Theater. “We just came off our most successful season last year, in terms of attendance and critical reaction. We got a great start to this year: an Ovation Award, a Critic’s Choice from the L.A. Times, a new outreach program, special talk back sessions. And then all this happened and everything came to a halt.”
Without any sense of when we (or other arts organizations in Orange County) can open up again, it’s hard to know what the full implications will be. Changes may need to be made. Some organizations may be forced to host smaller audiences, cut their costs, etc. Some may not be able to continue.
Even with all of this bad news, many are trying to remain optimistic. “People understand that this crisis is not of the arts world’s making, and everyone is feeling the pain, which makes it easier to appeal for help” said Oanh Nguyen, Chance’s artistic director.
Hopefully, this crisis will invigorate everyone’s desire for art and we’ll see a surge of attendees. Whether or not this occurs, many organizations may have to re-evaluate if they can still operate once this crisis passes.
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