WHERE ARE WE NOW?

When did the COVID-19 pandemic begin? That question, of course, has yet to be resolved. And since it’s inherently linked to the origin story of a global virus, the true start of the most devastating of 21st century narratives may well never be known.

But when it comes to the world of arts and entertainment, a sector to which COVID-19 brought utter devastation, this is the moment to pause and reflect on a year of unspeakable losses.

Broadway, with all of its symbolic weight, closed down on March 12, 2020 and it has yet to reopen. On that same day in Chicago, state and local officials announced a ban on all events designed to attract 1,000 people or more and encouraged any event expecting an audience of more than 250 to either cancel or postpone.

Most people in the arts and entertainment communities didn’t wait to hear more. But if they did, their hands soon were tied.

On March 13, with Illinois reporting 46 COVID-19 cases, a somber Gov. J.B. Pritzker held a news conference announcing that schools would be closed from the following Tuesday through the end of that month. On March 15, a fateful Sunday with cases multiplying, Pritzker said all bars and restaurants would have to close. And on March 16, he announced that indoor gatherings in Illinois now would be limited to no more than 50 people.

And now here we all are, one year later. Vaccines have arrived and optimism has grown, but it’s still too early to put a period on the pandemic. Many Illinoisans remain ensconced at home. Arts venues remain shuttered. Many arts workers remain out of work. The future is still unclear, even if the trajectory seems hopeful.

We asked a cross-section of Chicagoland arts professionals to recount what it was like one year ago this weekend, at the very moment when their professional worlds blew up.

Shows came down, screens went dark, museums shuttered, visitors disappeared, doors were locked, staffers were let go and health worries started to escalate.

Here are their stories.