Modesto’s Gallo Center to stay dark through October due to coronavirus restrictions
In a normal year, this would have been the week the Gallo Center for the Arts announced its 2020-21 season to its major donors, Executive Director Lynn Dickerson said Monday.
This is anything but a normal year.
So instead of good news, Dickerson and her staff announced Monday on Facebook and in an email to patrons that the center plans to remain closed through October.
“Mass gatherings are what we do, and when we can’t do that, we’re out of business,” Dickerson told The Bee, referring to Stanislaus County health officials’ restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Facebook post reads in part, “The Gallo Center will miss being able to introduce our valued patrons to the incredible 20/21 season that had been curated for you. We will miss all the excitement normally associated with this time of year. We will miss experiencing the joy and enthusiasm that so many of our patrons bring to our traditional season preview party. We will miss you, period.”
In mid-March, the arts center cut short its 2019-20 season, Dickerson said. About two dozen shows had to be moved or canceled, and all but four or so were moved to summer dates. Among the rescheduled shows were Bonnie Raitt, Josh Turner and “Menopause the Musical,” she said.
Now, those rescheduled shows must be rescheduled again. The work is underway, Dickerson said, noting that singer Boz Scaggs’ June show now will be in June 2021. “We already had to refund over $225,000 in tickets,” Dickerson said, and it’s likely that at least some customers will seek refunds because of the new postponements.
Dickerson called the 2020-21 season the “second piece” of the Gallo Center’s pandemic problem, but said it’s not as difficult as the first because no tickets have been sold.
She said she’s confident the Gallo will be able to reschedule performances because no competing venue really has an edge. “All performing arts centers are in the same boat,” she said. “All over the country, mass gatherings are being prohibited. So it’s really just a matter of trying to find new dates.”
What she’d like ticket holders to understand, Dickerson said, is how much the Gallo Center needs their help. “Please consider holding onto them for the next available dates” that performances are rescheduled, she said.
She assures that the center is trustworthy, and “we won’t cheat you out of your money” should you request a refund. And Dickerson said she realizes those refunds may be very important to people who’ve lost jobs or otherwise have been hard hit by the pandemic. “Everyone is suffering — I get that,” she said, but she hopes that people who can afford to hang on to their tickets will do so.
“To paraphrase an old show business expression,” the center’s Facebook post says, “the show will go on. And we can’t wait to welcome you back!”
The center asks anyone with a question about a canceled or rescheduled performance to visit www.galloarts.org/EventChange for updates.
This story was originally published April 28, 2020 at 7:10 AM.
