The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
‘It gives us a little bit of a lifeline’
Local venues receive SBA funding to aid recovery
TORRINGTON — After being closed for more than a year, entertainment venues across the state are reopening their facilities, scheduling programs and welcoming visitors once again.
For some of those venues, federal funding from the Small Business Administration will help them as they continue to recover from the events of the past pandemic year.
Many of those venues learned Monday that they will receive funding from the SBA’s Shuttered Venue Operator Grant program, created by the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Non-profits, and Venues Act that was signed into law in December 2020. The program includes $15 billion in grants to entertainment venues. The SBA announced the grants July 23.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal came to Torrington Monday to announce the grants to local organizations, joined by representatives from KidsPlay Children’s Museum, the Warner Theatre, the Bantam Cinema & Arts Center and Music Mountain, some of the many recipients.
“The last 17 months have been challenging,” said Eileen Marriott, executive director of KidsPlay, which will receive $20,759,
as she explained how the museum used previous grants to reopen, including the American Rescue Plan. It expanded its hours this year and welcomed children for new programs. She noted that in spite of “Herculean efforts” by parents and schools, children experienced significant learning loss and social isolation during the pandemic.
“More than ever, children need safe spaces for play,” Marriott said. “Part of (our) mission is to provide children with an environment ... that will increase the appreciation of the world around them.”
Other local grant recipients include Music Mountain, Falls Village, which received $91,091; Bantam Cinema & Arts Center/ Spinning Reels, Bantam, with $116,312; Landmark Community Theatre, Thomaston, with $146,646; Northwest Connecticut Association for the Arts/ The Warner Theatre, which received $775,413; the Gilson Theater, Winsted, with $219,441; MOMIX, Washington, which received $453,752; Pilobolus, Washington, which received $449,764; and Main Street Ballet Company, Woodbury, which received $15,581.
“It goes without saying that during this global pandemic, our cultural venues have been on life support,” said Mayor Elinor Carbone. “Our Main Street is our heart, and these entities are our heartbeat.”
“This is a significant moment for me,” said Blumenthal, D-Conn. He said that the Save Our Stages effort, now known as the Shuttered Venue Operator Grant, is a lifeline for the many “essential, quality of life” arts venues.
“If you just look at this Main Street, and see all of the shops and restaurants that will benefit from this children’s museum, and the Warner, and Music Mountain, and the Gilson, and the Bantam Theater ... they all drive business to this area,” he said.
Jodi Tenney, executive director of Bantam Cinema & Arts Center, attended the presentation Monday. “Spinning Reels was the company doing business as Bantam Cinema, so now it’s Spinning Reels d/b/a/ Bantam Cinema & Arts Center,” Tenney said. “We’re going to use the money to help reimburse us for accrued expenses; utilities, taxes, and some capital improvements and repairs.
Tenney said the cinema and arts center still is collecting donations to support the theater, and was grateful for the SBA funding.
“This money really helps. It gives us a little bit of a lifeline,” she said. “We have an opening planned in September, so we’re eight weeks away. Broadway’s opening in September, and we wanted to wait for the fall for more movies to come out. We also felt like people still want to be outdoors.”
Rufus de Rham, executive director of Torrington’s Warner Theatre, said the SBA’s $775,413 will be a big help.
“We got a little over $775,000, and it will go a long way to help us reopen in a stronger manner,” de Rham said. “At this point, we’ve lost more than $2.5 million in revenue, so this will certainly help us.”
The theater launched its summer camp program three weeks ago, and has announced a season of shows by the Warner Stage Co. as well as comedy shows, musical performances and children’s shows.
“We’re excited,” de Rham said. “We have our summer camps in their third week, with two weeks left, and the kid are excited and happy. We’re looking forward to ‘Stinky Cheese Man’ in August, and more shows to announce in August, and the rest of the Warner Stage Company season. We hope people continue to get vaccinated and show support for their local arts organizations. They need to come and visit us, and support us.”
A full list of venues benefiting from the funding is available on the SBA’s website.
“Connecticut venues and destinations are opening up, shows are being scheduled and families are rediscovering museums and aquariums due to SBA’s Shuttered Venue Operators Grant funding,” said Catherine Marx, SBA Connecticut’s district director. “Currently 122 entities in Connecticut have received grants totaling more $90 million.”
“... Indeed, these grants will ensure that our theatres, museums, and tourist destinations are able to open safely and secure the economic vitality of our neighborhoods,” Marx said. “Patrons, residents, and tourists have been eagerly awaiting the reopening of these venues as well as the local small businesses, restaurants and hotels that rely on these visitors to keep their doors open.”
The Shuttered Venue grant application is still open; visit sba.gov.