Hartford Business Journal

22 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | May 9, 2022 If you're looking to improve your skills, expand your knowledge base, and advance your career, Southern's finance certificate programs will position you to succeed. Gain a Foundation in Financial Management and Advance Your Career Program Starts May 19th • Combination of live and pre-recorded online sessions via TEAMS • Hands-on School of Business faculty to provide guidance • $995 per program CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS • Finance for Healthcare Professionals Certificate (six weeks/35 hours) • Finance for Small Businesses Certificate • Treasury Management Certificate for Individuals Certificate • Treasury Management Certificate for Corporate Sponsors Certificate • Finance for Public Utilities Professionals Certificate USER FRIENDLY FORMAT! VISIT SOUTHERNCT.EDU/FINANCE/CERTIFICATES 7 MODULES COVERED OVER 7 WEEKS = 35 HOURS The musical, which previously played in Hartford in 2018, will have 24 performances in The Bushnell's 2,700-seat Mortensen Hall theater. Ticket sales for the 2-hour-and-45- minute musical are going quickly and will likely sell out, Fay said. "While we are not quite back to pre-pandemic audience levels, we are on our way there," Fay said. "We are seeing continued improvement in the trend of sales to all shows. Major branded shows like 'Evan Hansen' and 'Hamilton' are doing what we would have expected pre-pandemic." He noted that industrywide only 60% of touring shows and entertainers are back on the road at this point, but that number is gradually growing. All three Hartford arts organizations said marketing is key to drawing back crowds. Fay said between 8% and 10% of The Bushnell's ticket sales income goes toward marketing shows. The theater leans heavily on digital media, while Theaterworks relies on social media, Google and its 20,000-person mailing list. Rider said the 500-seat Hartford Stage also does direct mail, online banner ads and radio. For the first time, it will advertise on Hartford buses this month to promote the performance of "Kiss My Aztec," which will run from June 1 through June 26. While marketing gets the word David Fay is the president and CEO of The Bushnell in downtown Hartford. HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER out to potential theater-goers, it is the support of existing and future donors that keep the financial engines running. Rider said Hartford Stage typically gets half its income from donors and half from ticket sales. With ticket sales yet to reach pre-pandemic levels, there is a need to raise more donor funding, she said. "With ticket sales down, philanthropy gets more important to sustain us now," Rider said, adding Hartford Stage expects to end the current fiscal year with a surplus, thanks to federal pandemic relief funds. Hartford Stage scored a victory when it raised $6.3 million from donors and others through its "Raise the Curtain" fundraising campaign, which wrapped up last year. It expects to raise another $300,000 from its upcoming gala this month at the Pratt & Whitney airline hangar. "Until ticket sales go back up, these events are our bread and butter," Rider said. Ruggerio said Theaterworks' budget, which was $2.5 million pre- pandemic, now hovers at around $1.7 million. Ruggerio said a steady flow of funds from sources like the state, CT Humanities, Bank of America and Travelers Cos. has helped sustain the theater, which will likely report a financial loss in the current fiscal year. One way Theaterworks hopes to continue to grow and sustain its donor and subscriber bases is by continuing to offer virtual programming, which became a staple during the pandemic. It's not a direct revenue source right now, but virtual performances extend theaters' reach and help engage audiences no matter where they are located. "We go 12 months a year, but the winter months are the quietest as many theater-goers head south," Ruggiero said. "We are committed to a virtual delivery. We deliver to those patrons virtually. The show is captured live, although it's not livestreamed. We, like all arts organizations, are watching closely to better understand what patrons want. We know flexibility is a big piece of that, thus our ongoing effort to provide the virtual option." Finally, theater executives hope as the pandemic continues to fade more people will be comfortable returning to indoor live entertainment. The Bushnell and Theaterworks have abandoned mask mandates and Hartford Stage will do the same starting June 1.

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