Theaters seek arts relief aid
Upstate coalition asking state for up to $25M in pandemic-related funding
A group of theaters from Buffalo to Poughkeepsie is asking the state for up to $25 million in pandemic-related relief as part of a pool of $350 million earmarked for small businesses and the arts in Gov. Kathy’s Hochul’s proposed executive budget for 2022-23, introduced last week.
The 10 members of the Upstate Theater Coalition, including Schenectady-based Proctors Collaborative and the Palace Theatre in Albany, previously have worked together to lobby the state on issues including tax credits for theatrical producers who finalize development and launch national tours upstate and to limit potential harm to the industry related to live performances at casinos after they were approved for upstate.
Under the request to the state, being made public on Tuesday, the coalition is seeking a commitment that New York will guarantee up to 80 percent of a coalition member’s budgeted revenue from ticket and concessions sales for the 2022 theater season, with total assistance to coalition members not to exceed $25 million, or 7 percent of the $350 million pool. A theater that exceeds 80 percent of income projections would not be eligible.
“The idea is not to take advantage but to keep us afloat,” said Philip Morris, CEO of Proctors and spokesman for the Upstate Theater Coalition. The message, Morris said, is this: “Should we not be successful, we need your help to stay alive.”
Hochul’s proposed budget does not specify who would be eligible for the $350 million, saying only that it would be designated for “businesses and theater/musical arts.” Morris said the coalition has been in discussions with the state budget office since December, describing it as “very receptive” to further assistance for the arts.
Using Proctors as an example, Morris said the organization, including its main complex in Schenectady and the affiliates Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany and Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs, is projecting $21 million in ticket and concession income for this year. If ongoing pandemic concerns, which have continued to diminish ticket sales and attendance, contribute to Proctors generating only 70 percent of the projection, it would be eligible for about $2 million under the coalition’s plan, Morris said.
The new assistance would be a follow-up to the federal Shuttered Venue Operators Grants from last year. Last summer, more than 40 arts organizations — representing museums, theater companies, entertainment venues and live tours in the Capital Region’s four core counties — received $36 million in federal assistance following what at that point had been 15 months of a pandemic-related shutdown responsible for all but canceling their business and devastating their income.
“All of the (coalition) members received SVOG, and it was essential to getting through,” Morris said. “This would be the next step, and we consider it essential as well.”
Although theaters have been rehiring staff and presenting shows, attendance remains lower than hoped because some potential audience members are still reluctant to return to crowded indoor venues.
The first Broadway tour to open at Proctors since the pandemic began was “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.” Its five-day run in December drew less than 50 percent capacity, when 65 percent or more had been projected before the COVID-19 surge fueled by the omicron variant, Morris said.
The next touring musical, “Come From Away,” opens Tuesday and runs through Sunday at Proctors. Singleticket sales are better than for “Summer,” Morris said, but the real test of audience attitudes will be how many choose not to come, either asking for a refund or a credit toward future tickets.
“We don’t have hard numbers yet, but anecdotally the number of people who have said they’re still not sure or they’re definitely not coming is surprisingly high to me,” Morris said.
Proctors requires audience members to provide proof of vaccination and wear masks while in the building, including throughout the performance.