Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | October 10, 2022 29 HBJ FILE PHOTO TheaterWorks' downtown Hartford audiences are coming back "ever so slowly," according to Marketing Director Freddie McInerney. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED 'We're In A Crisis' Even as pandemic fades, CT theater execs say audiences haven't fully returned By Frank Rizzo Hartford Business Journal Contributor A s the pandemic continues to fade and most Connecticut theaters lift COVID-19 restric- tions, there's a major question on the minds' of many performance house CEOs: Are audiences returning? The answer is: "Yes, but … ." Yes, but not at pre-pandemic levels. Yes, but season ticket sales — known in the theater industry as subscriptions — are still significantly down. Yes, but the federal financial support to weather the drop-off is running out. That "but" is a major concern for many of the state's theater execu- tives who fear some not-for-profit presenting and producing venues face the risk of closure if things don't turn around. "Our finances are not close to normal," said David Fay, presi- dent and CEO of The Bushnell in Hartford. "We're coming back ever so slowly," said Freddie McInerney, director of marketing and communications of TheaterWorks Hartford. "People have lost the habit of going to the theater," said Florie Seery, managing director of Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven. "We're in a crisis," said Cynthia Rider, managing director of Hartford Stage. Rider said Hartford Stage's pre-pandemic subscriptions totaled more than 7,000, but for the 2021-22 season, which ended in June, they were just under 4,000. "We took a big hit," with subscrip- tion revenue alone dropping from nearly $2 million to $1.3 million, she said. "While other industries and businesses are out of the pandemic, we're not." McInerney said pre-pandemic TheaterWorks was close to capacity at most shows "and now we are at the 50 percent to 60 percent level on average." For large presenting houses, which host Broadway tours, Fay said, "the trend line nationally is good overall. But here in New England we are not back to pre-pandemic levels and it's going to take this coming year — if there's no bump health-wise this winter — to get everyone over the COVID hesitancy." Mandates and habits When theaters reopened last fall, audiences were divided. Some didn't want to return unless everyone was masked and there was a vaccine mandate; others didn't want to go if they had to wear a mask throughout a performance. That has changed as COVID numbers have declined. Mask and vaccine mandates have generally been lifted, although theaters are offering some masked performances. "We didn't see a huge demand (for masked performances), but David Fay is the CEO of The Bushnell in Hartford. Florie Seery we're making it possible for people who wouldn't otherwise come,'' said Rider. The Bushnell has dropped its mandates but will follow the requirements of individual shows or entertainers. But it's not so much audience hesitation as it is new habits, theater executives said. "For the past two-and-a-half years people have been sitting on their butts at home watching Netflix," said Fay. "Breaking those habits is as difficult as anything we face right now." "People are recalibrating how they spend their time," said Rider. "We have to inspire them, make them say, 'Oh, yes, I really miss that.'

• Cover