The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Blumenthal touts possible funding for theaters, venues
Senator visits Warner Theatre to hear about impact of closures on local economies
TORRINGTON — Performance venues around the state, including the city’s Warner Theatre, have been shuttered since March, and Warner Executive Director Rufus de Rham has been waiting and hoping for the pandemic to end.
But since COVID-19 restrictions limit large gatherings, it’s possible that the Warner and other such places won’t reopen until next summer. The thought of being closed for another year is frightening and frustrating for de Rahm, his board of directors and employees, as well as the stage companies and performers whose shows are canceled.
“Our backs are against the wall,” de Rahm said during an event Thursday at the theater, attended by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and other local guests. “We need help.”
Help could come in the form of a $10 billion Save Our Stages grant program, developed for live venue operators to pay their employees. The second funding proposal, the
Restart Act, is a new loan program to cover six months of payroll, benefits and operating expenses for small businesses — including arts and cultural organizations and entertainment venues. The Garde Arts Center in New London is one of eight major arts venues that has joined forces with de Rahm and other theater directors to support these sources of funding.
Blumenthal came to Torrington Thursday to discuss the funding efforts — but mostly, he wanted to hear from de Rahm and others just how the closures have affected them.
“We invited the senator here to talk about Save Our Stages. Myself and other nonprofits — the Palace in Stamford, the Palace in Waterbury, the Bushnell in Hartford, the Garde and the Shubert — meet weekly to discuss how we’re doing and what we can do to stay afloat,” de Rahm said. “We were the first to close, and we’ll be the last to open. It’s been very difficult for everyone.”
De Rahm said Mayor Elinor Carbone has been a strong advocate for the theater, and shares his concern about the effects of keeping the theater dark. Not long after the March 13 shutdown, businesses dependent on theater patrons, including Sliders restaurant
and bar next door on Main Street, closed for good.
“(Theaters) are working with our respective mayors in our communities, and they’ve been very supportive,” de Rahm said. “But this isn’t just about money. It’s about the economic infrastructure of a community.”
“This theater is a cornerstone to the revitalization of our downtown,” Carbone said. “To see its doors remain closed is an indication of how long it’ll be before we see any sort of economic resurgence. It’s devastating to a community like Torrington.”
Blumenthal recalled visiting the Warner on many occasions: concerts, inaugurations, graduations. “I want to be here to support the SOS Act, and the more I learn, the better I am able to advocate for it,” he said.
The senator said he was impressed with Carbone’s work to keep her city moving forward.
“Mayor Carbone has been in the trenches, working and advocating for this theater,” he said. “I am an advocate to provide loans for theaters across the state and the country, and the SOS and Restart acts to be included in the next CAREs Act package.”
The CARES Act, S.3548, enacted earlier this year by Congress, is intended to provide emergency assistance and health care response funding for individuals, families and businesses affected by the pandemic,
according to www.congress.gov.
“The Restart Act can make a huge difference for the arts in our state,” Blumenthal said. “It can also save our souls, our artistic values. I’m intent on raising awareness of this on both sides of the aisle. The need is really dire. I’m sure everyone has a memory of a theater like this from their childhood — I know I do.”
That scenario is playing out at the other theaters in Connecticut, too, de Rahm said. “This isn’t about arts funding,” he said, referring to Save Our Stages and Restart. “It’s about infrastructure. The theater supports performers, but it also supports businesses, because people who visit downtown support other businesses while they’re here.”
“We are vaccine dependent at this point,” de Rahm said. “We can’t do shows with the COVID-19 restrictions, so we’ve canceled all our bookings until summer 2021. What’s essential for you to know is that we’re an important economic piece of this part of the state. We’re the largest venue in the Northwest Corner, contributing $1.8 million to the economy. We provide 122 full-time jobs.”
The theater applied for a loan through the Paycheck Protection Program, but was unable to meet all the requirements. The program, established by the Small Business Administration, provided loans to help businesses
continue to pay employees during the pandemic.
The Warner was able to borrow $500,000 from the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program to pay its bills, which are still due even if the venue is not open, de Rahm said. But to keep the aging building running, the Warner is spending close to $15,000 per month on electricity and fuel alone, he said. A portion of the funding also had to go toward required maintenance.
Even if the theater were to reopen, de Rahm said, the pandemic restrictions keep the Warner from making much money. “We’re a 1,700seat theater, and the restrictions wouldn’t allow for 400 people at the very most,” he said, adding that this season, the Warner lost between $800,000 and $900,000 in ticket sales by canceling its scheduled performances, including visiting artists and the Warner Stage Co. season.
“Our employees are furloughed, for the most part,” he said. “Just a few staff are working now. We’re down to the bare minimum.”
De Rahm encouraged people who want to advocate for theaters and arts venues in their town to contact their elected officials and ask for SOS and Restart to be approved.
“Help our legislators understand our need,” he said. “We’re working hard to stay in business.”