Hartford Business Journal Special Editions

November 15, 2021

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23 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | NOVEMBER 15, 2021 n Education & Retirement Planning n Investment Management n Estate Planning & Tax Planning n Business Services n College Savings Planning n Insurance & Risk Management making it simple service personal Not Insured by FDIC or Any Other Government Agency Not Bank Guaranteed Not Bank Deposits or Obligations May Lose Value Securities and advisory services are offered through LPL Financial (LPL), a registered investment advisor and broker/dealer (member FINRA/SIPC). Insurance products are offered through LPL or its licensed affiliates. Westfield Bank and Westfield Investment Services are not registered as a broker/dealer or investment advisor. Registered representatives of LPL offer products and services using Westfield Investment Services, and may also be employees of Westfield Bank. These products and services are being offered through LPL or its affiliates, which are separate entities from and not affiliates of Westfield Bank or Westfield Investment Services. Securities and insurance offered through LPL or its affiliates are: Invest in your future. Starting today. Located at Westfield Bank, Westfield Investment Services advisors build a personal relationship with you, focusing on your unique financial goals and providing you with objective recommendations. To see how they can help you invest in your future, visit westfieldinvestmentservices.com or call 413.564.2699. Westfield Investment Services ARTS & CULTURE The Bushnell gross $183,000 via its website. The institution put on more than a dozen digital presentations during the pandemic, Fay said. Fay said The Bushnell is developing events that combine both live and digital elements. There is nothing, though, like live performances and sitting in one of The Bushnell's two main auditoriums — the 2,800-plus seat Mortensen Hall and 900-seat Belding Theater — or smaller venues, Fay said. The shows, performances, conversations, musicals, concerts and humorists are coming back. The first Broadway subscription show after the closing was Jimmy Buffet's "Escape from Margaritaville," which ran from Oct. 7 to 12. There were eight performances in the week; they didn't sell out. "We have some hurdles to get over," Fay said of getting people back into The Bushnell. "One is pandemic hesitancy and habit, habit, habit. For 18-plus months, people have been sitting in their living rooms watching Netflix and reading the Hartford Business Journal. We get them back by putting great shows on our stage." While a normal season will see just north of 200 event nights, Fay said he expects the 2021-2022 season will be shorter. Some major blockbuster shows in the months ahead include performances by Jim Brickman in December; Russian Ballet Theatre ("Swan Lake") in February; and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra ("Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire") in April. Sticking around Kate McOmber, who has been interim CEO of The Greater Hartford Arts Council since Aug. 2020, said Fay is a significant influencer in the arts sector. "He is very thoughtful and he tries to think about the long-term vision of The Bushnell and what the organization can do for the community, in addition to being an excellent performing arts venue," said McOmber, who was a vice president of the arts council for six years prior to being named interim CEO. McOmber said the Greater Hartford arts industry experienced a lot of headaches and pain over the last 18 months, but it will rebound. "The arts sector, overall, has a very long road to recovery. There are good times ahead, but they will rebound with collective support," she said. "It takes the entire arts community and government and corporate partners working together to help the arts sector rebound." Fay, who was raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and lives in Rocky Hill, has led The Bushnell since 2001, a long reign for any chief executive. But he says he's not leaving anytime soon. In fact, he said he's promised The Bushnell's new board chair, The Hartford's Chief Financial Officer Beth Costello, that he'd stay for her two, three-year terms. Meantime, Fay's best experience — by far — at The Bushnell occurred Oct. 4, 2020, during the height of the pandemic. That's when he married at the theater his longtime partner, Peggy Fay. David Fay, who posted a four- minute video of the day to YouTube, said the event was a small affair: Only six people, including the bride and groom, attended. "We've been together for a long time and we always said that when we got around to getting married, we'd have to do it at The Bushnell. I couldn't imagine getting married anywhere else," David Fay said. The Bushnell's Mortensen Hall can hold 2,800 guests. So far, shows premiering since the pandemic began haven't sold out. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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