Live theatre must be saved

“Come From Away” is one of those Canadian success stories that gladdens every heart.

Who doesn’t love a vibrant musical that showcases quintessential Canadian values — welcoming the stranger in need — while also fuelling the local economy (the Toronto production is said to have contributed close to $1 billion over its two-year run)?

Which makes it all the more gutting that Mirvish Productions has permanently shuttered the Toronto version of “Come From Away,” barely two weeks after it reopened at the Royal Alexandra Theatre.

The main culprit, of course, is COVID-19, whose virulent Omicron variant led to tighter capacity restrictions on theatres and many other indoor venues.

But the decision to close down completely is also driven by a lack of support from all levels of government for live commercial theatre, of which “Come From Away” is the most successful Canadian example ever.

Seeing such a production shut down in our own backyard is bad enough. But it raises an even more serious question: if a mega-hit like “Come From Away,” put on by a company like Mirvish, can’t make a go of it in Toronto, what’s the future for less celebrated productions?

Governments need to step up and do a lot more to make sure Toronto’s once-thriving live theatre sector doesn’t end up as yet another victim of COVID.

Other governments, in cities where live theatre is a vital part of the cultural scene and a significant driver of economic activity, seem to realize its importance.

Mirvish Productions’ founder, David Mirvish, was outspoken on this point when he announced the closure last week.

In other parts of the world, he said, governments have offered financial supports aimed at helping live commercial theatre survive the shutdowns and capacity restrictions forced by successive waves of COVID.

“But in Canada there is no such government support,” said Mirvish.

“And without such a safety net it is impossible for the production to take yet another extended hiatus. The costs of reopening a second time are prohibitively high and risky.”

In the United States, the federal government set up a $16-billion program first called S.O.S., for Save Our Stages, later renamed more mundanely as the Shuttered Venues Operator Grant, to support live productions, including theatre. The Broadway and touring productions of “Come From Away” each benefited to the tune of $10 million (U.S.)

In Britain, the government helped out theatre productions by, among other things, letting them keep the Value Added Tax charged on every ticket.

And in Australia, the federal government and the states of New South Wales and Victoria set up special funds to sustain the arts through the pandemic.

As a result, even as the Royal Alex goes dark, productions of “Come From Away” continue on Broadway, on tour in the U.S., in London’s West End and in Sydney, Australia.

In Canada, there’s been lots of talk about supporting the arts, but a lot less action when it comes to commercial theatre like “Come From Away.”

The Ontario government, for example, created a $100-million fund to support tourism and related activities. Mirvish Productions says it’s applied but no decision has so far been announced on who will receive support.

At the federal level, the Liberals promised a new “arts and culture recovery program” in the recent election campaign that would compensate live productions for lost ticket sales due to reduced capacity. But nothing has come of that so far.

It would be a real tragedy if live performing arts, so vital to Toronto’s cultural scene and economy, were to be crippled by the pandemic. Our governments should learn from what others have done, and take action before it’s too late.