Don’t let curtain fall on more performance venues

A program to help places that put on live events was created in December but has yet to give out a dime.

It won’t be long and people will be clamoring to check out a live show. But will they be able to find one?

7he response to COVID- has caused many performance venues to shut down for good, while those that live on struggle as the pandemic enters its second year.

+elp was supposed to be on the way by now in the form of a federal relief program. But four months after its approval, the program has yet to distribute a dime.

7hat’s bad news for these venues, and for the communities that rely on them to provide entertainment and art, to attract visitors, and to support jobs.

7ake for example the OgunTuit 3layhouse, one of 0aine’s top performing arts centers and a link to the wonderful history of summer stock theatre.

7he 3layhouse each year brings topnotch talent to southern 0aine, yet last year, unable to put on shows, it lost more than million in ticket sales, executive director Bradford .enny told 0aine3ublic this week. 6ome of those funds would have otherwise gone to its year-round staff.

³7his is how these folks feed their families and pay their rents and their mortgages,´ .enny said.

Besides providing jobs, places like the OgunTuit 3layhouse also help other local businesses pay their bills, spending on local vendors and drawing people in for a night out, leading them to go to nearby to shop, eat or have a drink.

Besides filling prominent spaces and creating bu]], small, locally run performance venues are often the only one in their community doing what they do. )or many, they may be the only place nearby featuring a live band or a show.

And these venues are part of nationwide chain that allows smaller acts to tour throughout the country. If too many close, the chain loses valuable links, and everyone will have fewer choices for entertainment.

7he 6huttered Venue Operators *rant, passed by Congress in December

as part of the 6ave Our 6tages Act, could help these venues ² the ones that have survived, anyway ² come out the other end of the pandemic.

7he billion program allows grants of up to 0 million for live music venues, independent theaters and other live-event spaces.

But the application site crashed last week shortly after opening and has yet to come back online.

7he federal government has approved trillions of dollars in spending to fight COVID across a series of relief packages. But it has struggled to get a significant portion of that funding out the door.

7hat’s not entirely surprising. A lot of the funds, including the grants for performance venues, are being distributed through brand-new programs that must be built from scratch.

7hat’s a challenge, but it’s one that has to be overcome. 7he money does no good just sitting there, and the venues cannot wait forever to find out if they are going to survive long enough to put on another show.