Cultural Withdrawal Symptoms
THE ENGLISH COLUMN
Usually May is a hectic month for me. As director and producer of the English Drama Group Salzburg, I would normally be in the last stages of putting on our annual production. Thanks to the Corona virus everything had to be cancelled. No rehearsals were possible, costume production was stopped, stage design was put on hold. Our only hope is to be able to present this production to our audiences next year.
Just as they have affected the EDGS, the Corona measures have brought all theatrical and musical events to a halt. No operas, no concerts, no theatre, no cinema, no open-air mass events. This is not only boring for potential audiences, but it is a threat to the livelihood of many artists, musicians, actors and all those people involved in the arts. Many of these events rely heavily on ticket sales as only a few of them are funded or sponsored by the state. Many actors and musicians are self-employed, relying on successive contracts to pay their bills. This is especially noticeable in smaller theatrical communities. Big houses can furlough their workers with the scheme provided by the government but what about the self-employed? Many of them are living off their savings as their income has dwindled to nothing. Cinemas have also furloughed their workers as they remain closed. This has led to the unusual situation that major films supposed to premiere this spring and summer have been postponed. These blockbusters cost a lot of money to make and need a strong box office showing to recuperate their investment and make a profit. Major film studios have decided to open these films in autumn, which is normally a dead season for movies. Film production has also been grinded to a halt. Predictably such streaming services as Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video (just to mention a few) have experienced a boom as people are forced to stay at home and watch films and TV series online.
Some theatrical companies have started a very innovative way to generate some money. They put on filmed plays or musicals online every week and ask people to make a small donation to help mitigate the effects of this virus on their workers. I myself have been enjoying several such offerings by the British National Theatre. The Globe Theatre is also making some Shakespearean plays available online for free (donations are not obligatory but very welcome). There is a lot to see even if you do not want to pay a streaming service.
The big question is: How will the Salzburg Festival cope with the situation? As some have pointed out, the Festival has had quite a fews moments of difficulty in its hundred-year history and managed to overcome them. With most airlines grounded and many stars stuck at home in lockdown, one can hardly imagine that it will go ahead as usual. There will definitively be a „Jedermann“, but many large productions will have to be postponed to 2021. This is quite a big blow for the city. However: If Austria succeeds in containing this virus, there is a case to be made for Austrians to support their cultural institutions by replacing the usual foreign visitors: A reduced form of the festival with local audiences paying reasonable prices. The elitist approach taken over the last years has alienated a lot of the local people.
Now would be the time to reconnect with them and unite to celebrate its 100th anniversary together. I do feel sorry for Festival President Helga Rabl-Stadler. This anniversary would have been the crowning achievement of her remarkable career – and now it has to take place under such difficult cirumstances.