The show must go on.
The adage has its origins in the circus, where death-defying acts sometimes went awry, and distractions were needed to keep the audience from leaving.
In the last two years, all the nuances of this expression have been felt in the world of entertainment. People wanted to be entertained. Precautions needed to be taken. Safety was threatened.
Balancing this has been challenging for theaters all over the Chicago suburbs and northwest Indiana.
Ever-changing mandates — which differed state to state — variants, and trying to predict audiences’ appetite for live entertainment have all created drama in the drama department.
“Slowly, but surely, confidence in attending live events is returning,” said Colleen Rogalski, marketing and booking manager for Genesee Theatre. In the nearly 95 years since the 2,400-seat Genesee Theatre in Waukegan launched, the movie and live performance stage space has celebrated milestones and also weathered uncertainties dating back to its opening in December 1927.
Theater operators interviewed reported ticket sales averaging roughly 60% to 75% of prepandemic numbers, and all have cited loyal patrons and season ticket holders for helping them weather a difficult and uncertain time.
Artistic Manager Jeff Casey, who launched the 112-seat Towle Theater in Hammond 15 years ago, said the 2021 summer show at the stage space sold at 44% compared to the December holiday show, which sold at 87%.
“We did not require proof of vaccination during the summer show, but we did for the holiday show, and many people expressed that the only reason they came was because they felt safe in an entire audience of vaccinated, masked guests,” Casey said.
Diana Martinez, director of McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn has been pleased with steady trend of increasing audiences in the last three months since the holidays at the 780-seat theater.
“With every performance we see steady growth, however we are continuing at a 75% max occupancy limit to help manage the density of people in the space to keep people safe. The biggest challenge has been communicating changes in COVID-19 policies to all ticket holders over the past year.”
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But Jennifer Berosek, coordinator of fine arts for North Central College Fine and Performing Arts’ four venues, said the audience census of last year and recent months “has reflected the anticipated hesitancy of patrons to return to mass gathering events, especially during the rise in Delta cases followed by the Omicron surge at the beginning of the year.”
Other help is needed
Stage and entertainment space operators also said further funding from government stimulus programs would assist in making up for any continued revenue loss as this spring’s anticipated audience renaissance continues.
“We have been fortunate enough to receive the Save Our Stages Grant, which has allowed us to stay open and help offset the reduction in audiences this year,” Martinez said.
Ron Onesti, president and CEO for Arcada Theatre in St. Charles and Des Plaines Theatre, anticipated it will still be “at least a few years” before they observe a more complete recovery for entertainment venues. “Every single theater and restaurant is still struggling after being closed for two years, plus staffing issues,” Onesti said.
“There are still bills to pay even when a space is shut down, because of refunds for canceled shows and special events that aren’t rebooked. It takes time to build business momentum. And not all people make plans for the future when there is uncertainty down the road,” Onesti said.
Like theater and live venue spaces throughout Chicagoland and northwest Indiana, Rogalski and the Genesee box office workers have spent the past year and more reassuring patrons and fielding questions, while also gauging feedback about protocol and safety measures.
Confusing times
“The most difficult hurdles have been the sudden mandate changes, the differences between local and statewide laws, and the various policies instituted by the artists themselves,” Rogalski said.
“The events we had planned for January 2022 needed to be rescheduled or canceled because of the surge caused by Omicron, and during this time there was a stagnation in sales,” Berosek said.
Onesti and his team have rescheduled over 100 shows and concerts in the last two years. “Yes, it (has been) challenging to keep everyone informed of new show dates,” Onesti said.
“If we had people show up for a wrong show, we would find a place for them to stay and enjoy the show or offer tickets for a future performance. But on average, we’ve been around 50 to 75% full. Even weather can be a factor,” Onesti said.
Recent announcements from both Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot about lifting certain requirements for indoor dining, entertainment, recreation and hospitality businesses for Illinois and the Windy City have been the latest promising hope.
Rogalski and other theater and stage leaders in Chicagoland hail these latest developments as new horizons and key to welcoming back anticipated eager audiences needed to fill seats and increase revenue for stretched budgets.
State-by state differences have also made things confusing. Indiana and Wisconsin, where Genesee draws a large audience, have remained more fluid and relaxed for COVID-19 requirements.
“Our in-house policy has always matched whatever the statewide mandates require. We currently require masks but no proof of vaccination is required. Masks were no longer required as of March 1 and we have been fully open at 100% capacity since August 2021,” Rogalski, in Waukegan, said.
“We are keeping those same (mask) requirements for the current March production of ‘Murder for Two’ despite changes and lessening restrictions at some venues in Chicago and Illinois. So far ticket sales are pretty strong, and we have some performances sold-out at capacity,” Casey, in Hammond, Indiana, said.
Paramount Theatre and Copley Theatre President and CEO Tim Rater recently sent a letter to patrons updating its policy on COVID-19 at the 1,885-seat theater in Aurora. “Paramount Theatre has followed, and will continue to follow, the requirements of the State of Illinois and the Kane County Health Department,” Rater said in the letter.
The theater will no longer require masks or proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 for admission, but is strongly encouraging mask wearing.
Heavy hitters help
– Original Credit: McAninch Arts Center
Genesee Theatre in Waukegan is happy to have Jay Leno as a favorite returning name this month.
“Jay Leno’s March 25 show is an audience favorite, and also, another hot ticket later in the year is Charlie Berens in September, including a just-booked second show for Charlie, all of which is keeping our box office busy,” Rogalski said. Leno will appear at the Paramount in Aurora March 26.
“We anticipate a greater increase in ticket sales during the coming weeks for our remaining season events such as Marianne Murphy Orland on March 13, TheaterWorksUSA’s ‘Rosie Revere, Engineer and Friends’ on April 9, Kurt Elling Quintet on April 10, Laura Freeman on May 1, The Four C Notes on May 7, and the recent addition of The Wailers on May 13,” Berosek said.
The Drama Group from Chicago Heights has received good support from the season ticket holders, Box Office Administrator Linda Hart said.
“We are not quite halfway through the season and are excited about the shows that we’ve had, as well as the ones coming up later this year,” Hart said. “The musical ‘Crowns’ opens in April, followed by the British performing the comedy ‘Run for Your Wife’ in June, and ‘Leading Ladies,’ a classic farce, closes the season in August.”
Looking ahead
The future remains uncertain.
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“I hope that we can see a full return to normal next season. But if there are any other outbreaks or imposed closures, the theater industry will definitely need more help. There are few other businesses where people are seated shoulder to shoulder with strangers for two hours in order to operate, which makes it incredibly challenging to keep people safe and healthy during a pandemic,” Martinez said.
“My projected budget for ticket revenue for 2022 is weak because there is still so much that is unknown down the road,” Casey said.
“Season ticket sales are at 50% of where we were at this time in 2020 pre-pandemic. I think many people are still reluctant to invest as a subscriber, and we aren’t sure if the individual ticket sales are going to make up for the gap.”
Philip Potempa is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.