Hartford Business Journal

21 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | May 9, 2022 Protracted Recovery Hartford theaters face long bounce back from pandemic's harsh impact By Robert Storace rstorace@hartfordbusiness.com T he global pandemic hit Hartford's theaters hard, forcing them to close for months. They lost subscribers — the financial lifeline for many nonprofit arts institutions — and there was an overall feeling by some theater executives, particularly during the pandemic's early days, that they might never recover. Several federal aid programs — and loyal donors — kept many theaters afloat, and now that they have reopened, patrons are slowly coming back to see live entertainment. But industry executives say it will be a slow recovery, likely taking years to fully bounce back from the pandemic, a sobering reality for a key Hartford and statewide industry. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that the arts and culture sector contributed $9.7 billion to Connecticut's economy in 2019, representing 3.4% of the state's GDP and 56,865 jobs, according to the Americans for the Arts Action Fund. "[It will take] another two to three years of recovery to rebuild our audience and to re-imagine what that looks like," said Rob Ruggerio, producing artistic director for Hartford-based Theaterworks, which went dark for more than a year following the pandemic shutdown in March 2020, before reopening last July with a production of the New York Times- acclaimed play "Walden." Flipping the switch Theaterworks currently has about 2,000 subscribers, down by more than half from 5,000 pre-pandemic, Ruggerio said. The theater is back to a full schedule, he added, but attendance, on average, is running at about 50% based on total capacity, or about 60% based on pre-pandemic levels. "I believe in the power of live theater and connecting with people, but some people are just not ready to go back," said Ruggerio, who noted his organization is currently featuring the comedy "Zoe's Perfect Wedding" in its 188-seat theater. Similarly, Hartford Stage Managing Director Cynthia Rider said it will take her organization about three years to fully come back from the financial and emotional losses the pandemic brought. Hartford Stage, which operates on a $10 million budget, lost more than $5 million during the pandemic, she said. Federal aid programs helped sustain the organization but it reduced its staff by 70%. Hartford Stage reopened in October 2021, with a production of "Ah, Wilderness!," a comedy about the growing pains of adolescence. "Are people coming back to the theater? Yes, but slowly," Rider said. "It's not the kind of thing where you flip the switch and everything is back to what it was pre-pandemic. Our subscribers are at 3,700, 52% of what they were in 2018 and 2019. It will take a good three years to be back at those numbers." In addition, Rider said, single ticket sales are down 30% and the marketing budget — key to attracting audiences — is down nearly $400,000, at a little over $1 million. Theaters are also trying to rebuild their donor roster and staffs, a situation made more difficult by the competitive job market. David Fay, CEO of The Bushnell, said his organization during the worst stretch of the pandemic was forced to lay off 90% of its 417 full- and part-time employees. It has had to rebuild staffing levels as it reopened, starting last October with a performance by the Hartford Symphony Orchestra. The bounce back Despite the challenging environment, theater executives say their recovery has begun. And their strategies to move forward include a myriad of marketing initiatives, reaching out to more donors, including large corporations, maintaining some virtual programming, and offering in- demand shows. The Bushnell expects a major bump in attendance this June and July, when the Broadway hit "Hamilton" returns for its second run. Rob Ruggerio Cynthia Rider is the managing director of Hartford Stage. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER

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