The Times OC Highlights the OC Theatre Scene 4 months into COVID-19

 

The state of O.C. theater will only get rockier as the pandemic continues, but many forge on. Most theaters in Orange County, and around the nation, are in a similar position. Audiences are a fundamental part of theater, and the pandemic has made it unsafe for audiences to gather. Even if audience members could socially distance, there is the safety of actors and crew members to consider. Also, what is the cost of putting on a show, when the likelihood of making the money back is slim?

In the meantime, some are continuing their programming online to keep their members engaged. Some are hosting Zoom readings. But these efforts, for the most part, are more for community building and the opportunity for artists to hone their craft.

“There isn’t a whole lot that theaters can do to make any money right now,” Mike Brown, president of Costa Mesa Playhouse, said.

Some theaters, like Costa Mesa Playhouse, Newport Theatre Arts Center and the GEM Theater in Garden Grove are subsidized, either by their city, their landlords or their donors. But many theaters like Stage Door, Maverick, STAGESTheatre, Modjeska and more are at the mercy of their landlords and trying to make deals with them.

Larger theaters like Segerstrom Center of the Arts and South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa are also not immune to the pandemic.

“I really think it’s about the nature of the business, rather than the size of the business,” Casey Reitz, president of Segerstrom Center for the Arts, regarded as one of the most prolific, well-known and well-funded theaters in the county. “If you’re in hospitality, if you’re in air travel, it doesn’t matter what your size is. You’re significantly impacted.”

“The bigger the company, the bigger the financial hit,” said Craig Tyrl of the Wayward Artist in Santa Ana.

“Regardless of size, audience base or budget, the whole art form with live audience is not happening, and it’s a tremendous loss for everybody. Everyone’s working hard to survive this.”

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CHANCE THEATER

Oanh Nguyen, executive artistic director of Chance Theater, and Casey Long, managing director, remember clearly when the theater closed because it was Friday the 13th.

The day after, they were about to have a major fundraising event with about 1,000 people and 40 different performances, and they had to shut it down.

Looking forward, they know it won’t be financially viable for them to produce plays unless it’s safe for them to have their shows at 80% capacity, which means they are likely not going to be able to produce until there is a vaccine.

Their annual operating budget is about $1 million. About half their income comes from ticket sales, subscriptions and other earned income, while the other half comes from grants and donations.

They’ve furloughed the whole staff, and so far, they have eight staff members left, all at 16 hours a week or less.

But they do have the support of their donors. They kicked off a $200,000 fundraiser when the pandemic started, and as of print time, they were at $199,244. But the $200,000 goal was just to get them through the summer, so they’re about to announce the next goal.

“In the world of midsize to larger theaters, we’re struggling because we don’t have the reserves and endowments,” said Nguyen. “In the world of small theaters, we might seem to be doing much better, but at the same time, we have a lot more costs. We pay our staff and artists. We have a larger amount of rent.”

In the meantime, they’re creating virtual programming to keep their community connected. “Chance Cyber Chats” is a virtual theater trip where they pick five theater shows available on BroadwayHD and other streaming platforms to watch and then encourage their members to join a panel through Zoom to discuss.

Long hosts these talks, and he said that while they’re scheduled for 30 minutes, many stay for over an hour. A lot of their members are used to seeing them on a regular basis.

They started “Some Good News OC,” inspired by John Krasinski’s popular quarantine series of the same name, where they share good news around Orange County and also give updates. They continue to hold workshops and develop other series where they bring back past cast members and catch up.

“At this moment, the feeling is optimistic,” Nguyen said.

“Cautiously optimistic,” Long said.

“We have to be; we have no choice,” Nguyen said. “We have no idea what tomorrow’s going to be like, but there’s a belief that we’re going to get through this.”