Shows can’t go on yet for Modesto region performing arts groups, but hope remains
The crystal balls are cloudy, but the optimism clear amid Modesto region performing arts groups, shut down by the coronavirus pandemic.
The companies that are institutions in Modesto and the Mother Lode have had to cancel numerous shows and remain uncertain about when or even where they might be able to perform again.
Many are resident companies at the Gallo Center for the Arts, shuttered early by the pandemic. As of now, the Gallo Center website indicates its next show will be in November.
Central West Ballet, Modesto Symphony Orchestra, Opera Modesto and Modesto Performing Arts are Gallo Center resident companies. Others like Prospect Theater Project in Modesto and Sonora’s Sierra Repertory Theatre have their own venues.
And while the pandemic has shut them down, grants, donations and the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program — as well as some online classes — are keeping those at the helm of the companies hopeful in these uncertain times.
“I, like many other people, scrambled to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program,” said Central West Ballet Executive Director Karin Reenstierna. The Modesto company received $58,000.
They initially had to furlough contracted dancers, but were able to bring them back with the PPP and pay a month’s rent, she said. But the money has been used and those dancers will be furloughed again at the beginning of July.
Central West also is teaching its academy students online via Zoom, according to Artistic Director Rene Daveluy. “It’s been going pretty well actually, we have a number of students who are taking it at home.”
Company dancers also are staying in shape via online sessions, he said.
Reenstierna said they offered the first week of academy classes for free, asked for donations the second week, charged 50 percent of tuition the third and full tuition at the beginning of May.
About 55 to 60 youths are taking the online classes, roughly 50 percent of the academy’s students, she said.
Still, Daveluy said they are “looking at how we’re going to return to some kind of normal.”
Part of easing back into live performances could include holding events at the CWB studios, Reenstierna said.
The company’s studios are large enough that they could potentially do shows there rather than wait for the Gallo Center to reopen, she said.
They also are looking at live summer sessions for the academy. With two studios, they can have small groups of students in each. But Reenstierna said nothing is concrete.
Ballet Mistress Leslie Ann Larson said because the studios are large, they could bring back students in small groups of eight to 10, with social distancing of eight feet, along with other precautions.
Students still will have the option of participating online via Zoom.
While Central West had to cancel its “Creations” program along with its annual fundraiser and other shows, Daveluy is optimistic about the company’s survival, saying they “definitely will withstand” the pandemic, adding “we’re getting really good support from our immediate community.”
No farewell concerts for symphony’s conductor
Modesto Symphony Orchestra also has seen support from the community and individuals, according to President & CEO Caroline Nickel. MSO received help from the Paycheck Protection Program, as well, although Nickel preferred to not say how much.
But the symphony, its youth symphony and choruses all had to cancel concerts, negating ticket sales, along with some fundraising events. “Yes, we will be heavily impacted by the loss of revenue,” she said.
She said they also are looking at grants and foundations for financial help.
“We are seeing money come in from donors and supporters,” Nickel said. While she knew it wouldn’t come in at the same rate, “we still have a dedicated and supportive base ... That has been really reassuring and uplifting to know.”
The pandemic also wrecked other plans for the MSO.
The youth orchestra was to go on tour to Vienna and perform at the Beethoven 250th celebration, but that was canceled, Nickel said.
In addition, this was conductor David Lockington’s 13th and final season with the MSO, but he didn’t get to conduct his last concerts.
And the annual Picnic at the Pops concert that draws huge crowds to the outdoor grounds at E&J Gallo Winery every September also has been canceled, Nickel said.
The hope is a return to the stage in November, but she is cautious, knowing there also are concerns of a second wave of coronavirus in November.
As for whether the orchestra will survive the pandemic, Nickel said “We’re always concerned about our future ... but at the same time I feel like we have a very engaged and supportive board and community and donor base. We are going to do what it takes to make sure that happens.”
Spring return eyed by Opera Modesto
Opera Modesto hopes to return to the stage in the spring after having to cancel its “Magic Flute” performance for June, according to General Director Roy Stevens.
“We’ve lost well over $100,000 in expected ticket income,” he said.
They’ve been writing grant proposals and have “a faithful audience and donor base that are very kind. We also have local granting organizations that help support groups.”
Opera Modesto also received $33,500 in PPP money.
A grant from the California Arts Council helped save the opera company’s July Summer Opera Institute for teens, he said. The $20,000 youth arts grant allowed them to waive the $200 summer tuition for students in the program and move it online.
There are 32 participants, ages 11-19, from roughly 20 schools across the Central Valley planning to participate in the program, he said. The program is a two-week intensive leadership, mentoring, collaboration and skills training for young vocalists.
They hope to do a live final performance for the Summer Opera Institute, either online or in person, Stevens said.
“Our commitment is to give this outstanding opportunity to teens in whatever way we have to,” he said. “We know teens have really been struggling, isolated ... this is something exciting and intensive that can give a large portion of them something to do.”
Opera Modesto has kept its four employees working, he said, thanks to individual donors and funding foundations.
“It’s a challenge,” Stevens said. “We are going to survive and we are looking for creative ways to survive and are looking to what the new norms will be.”
Five decades of MPA summer shows interrupted
Modesto Performing Arts depends on its summer shows, according to General Director Paul Tischer.“ A Chorus Line” in June and “West Side Story” in August had to be canceled because of the pandemic.
It’s the first time in 52 years that MPA has not put on a summer production, he said.
“It’s unfortunately going to cost us a lot of money,” he said. Both shows have been rescheduled for summer 2021.
Also about to go on in March before venues were shut down was a Joni Morris fundraising concert at the State Theatre. Tischer said they’re planning to hold that next spring.
Tischer said MPA also slated “A Christmas Carol” for November, “but I don’t think that’s going to happen, partly because I think this pandemic is going to go on longer than people think.”
Financially, MPA still has to pay rent, insurance and other expenses, Tischer said. Employees such as music directors, stage managers, lighting crews and others have been furloughed.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. Fortunately, we have some money in reserves but not enough ... hopefully donors and businesses will help (with) support.”
MPA did receive $3,000 from the Stanislaus Community Foundation, he said. “That’s going to help a little bit. Quite frankly, I don’t know where we’re going to go for additional funds.”
Still, Tischer remains positive about MPA’s future.
“One way or another we will survive,” he said. “I’m very optimistic that we’ll be back in 2021.”
Prospect ‘no stranger to adversity’
Modesto’s Prospect Theater Project also received PPP money, about $4,900, Artistic Director Jack Souza said.
“Prospect is doing OK. We’ve always been thrifty, you know,” he said. “We lost shows and we count on those.”
But he said they “have enough in our war chest to pay rent, pay bills.” If the shutdown continues past September or October, “we might be feeling different.”
“Prospect is no stranger to adversity,” Souza said. “I’m optimistic. we’ve got a strong foundation and I think we’re going to find our way through this.”
The theater’s few employees remain in place, he said.
The company is looking at a flexible plan to begin its season, Souza said, which normally opens in September, with an in-studio audience in limited numbers or to charge for a play to be streamed online.
“I’ve got be conscious of the artists in the space, too,” he said, so the return will be a one-person show.
Donors also are helping. And while it wasn’t the same as past years, Prospect’s annual summer fundraiser was held earlier this month, “a drive-thru experience,” Souza said. Donors and sponsors picked up dinner with entertainment provided while they waited. They returned to their homes for live music online from the Prospect studio as they enjoyed their meals.
The fundraiser was a success, Souza said.
“It went very smoothly on every level,” he said. “It was a little off of our usual annual fundraiser, but that said, it far exceeded our expectations.”
SRT hoping to return in September
Sonora’s Sierra Repertory Theatre also remains hopeful, according to a press release from the company.
“We are encouraged that Tuolumne County is beginning to open,” Scott Viets, Producing Artistic Director, said in the May release. They are focused on a September re-opening with back-to-back shows for the remainder of the year. The first show will be a to-be-decided musical.
“This has been a year like none other,” Viets said in the release. “In 2011 the theater faced hard times in the wake of the last economic recession but we were able to continue production and welcome audiences into our theaters. Now, not only are we waiting for California to enter into Phase 4 of Governor Newsom’s structured re-opening, we are also in the dark about travel restrictions for audiences and our guest artists, social distancing measures that will undoubtedly come into play when we are able to re-open, and post-COVID-19 workplace protocols for staff and artists.”
SRT had to cancel its entire summer season, creating a financial hit. The company did receive PPP money, according to Associate Artistic Director/Marketing Director Jerry Lee. While he wasn’t certain how much they received, they applied for $150,000, he said.
“As we share the excitement for the remainder of the season, we are conscious of the continuing challenge of paying bills when there are no shows on stage to generate funds,” Viets said. “Even with the theater dark, we are faced with costs that include utilities, rent, salaries for core staff, and ultimately the cost of bringing staff back when production commences.”
He’s asking that anyone holding tickets to the canceled shows donate the value back to Sierra Rep. They also are seeking donations through their annual fund.
“It’s a lot to take in and I feel for every business that is struggling through our current situation. But we are resolved to remain optimistic,” Viets said in the release. “Our culture is resilient, strong and we love the arts. I have no doubt that we will welcome very happy audiences in the future.”
