Two of Columbus’ biggest theaters could see $500K loss because of coronavirus
The coronavirus pandemic has threatened the financial viability of the two major theater venues in Columbus.
With the Springer Opera House and the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the leaders of those arts organizations are dealing with many concerns. But this much is clear, they told the Ledger-Enquirer:
The canceled and postponed events will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue — and they will need urgent fundraising efforts to plug the gaps.
After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced stricter guidelines Monday, recommending against gatherings of 50 or more people for at least the next eight weeks, Springer and RiverCenter officials couldn’t hold out any longer, despite their desire to stay open as a source of joy amid this widening woe.
Springer
Monday’s cancellation of the remaining 2019-20 season, through May, means two-thirds of the “Singin’ in the Rain” production and the complete runs of “Morningside,” “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom,” and “Matilda” won’t be performed, as well as the Springer Theatre Academy’s spring break session for youth and the weekly No Shame Theatre variety shows for adults.
Paul Pierce, the Springer’s producing artistic director, estimated scrapping the events will cost at least $250,000 in revenue out of the theater’s $2.5 million budget this fiscal year.
Combined with the uncertainty of when the Springer could reopen, Pierce considers this the most significant disruption to the 149-year-old venue’s operation.
Worries about COVID-19 increased each day last week as news reports were more alarming, but “Singin’ in the Rain” opened with full houses of about 500 patrons Thursday through Sunday at the Springer, he said.
Pierce recalled watching patrons stream in, and he interpreted their attendance as a message declaring, “The Springer is part of our lives. This is part of what makes Columbus, Georgia, worth living in. And until the government tells us it’s unsafe to be here, we’re going to be here.”
But after Gov. Brian Kemp authorized a public health emergency in the state Saturday and the CDC issued stricter guidelines, Pierce realized the Springer had no other choice but to cancel the rest of the season.
Venues known as presenting theaters, such as the RiverCenter, have performances run by touring production companies, which rehearse elsewhere. The Springer, however, is a producing theater, where the shows are staged by the theater company. That means the rehearsals and production preparation are in the theater, requiring a bunch of people to work in close proximity.
So postponing the shows instead of canceling them wasn’t an option, Pierce said.
“Although we are operating with limited data,” he said, “we don’t expect this to be all over by April or May.”
So while they aren’t producing shows, Pierce expects to redeploy some of the 22 full-time and four part-time staff to deferred maintenance projects and others to marketing and sales efforts to recover the lost revenue.
“The Springer will survive as it always has,” Pierce said, “but it will survive with the help and support of the community.”
Asked what happens to the Springer if the fundraising isn’t successful, Pierce said, “Not an option. It has to happen.”
RiverCenter
Also on Monday, the RiverCenter announced the performance of “Escape to Margaritaville,” which was scheduled for March 19, was postponed to a date yet to be determined, as was the April 2 performance of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The Navy Band already had canceled its March 12 date.
Beyond the safety of patrons and performers and the facility’s finances, Easterbrook noted another factor in the RiverCenter’s consideration of whether and when to close: the community’s spirit.
“They look to these events as a way to make it through crisis in their lives,” he said.
In addition to losing ticket revenue from the venue closure, the plummet in the stock market could mean fewer donations. Easterbrook also expects more marketing expenses to promote the rescheduled shows.
Add it all up, and Easterbrook predicts a decrease of at least $100,000 in revenue out of a budget of nearly $3 million this fiscal year.
Also canceled was an unannounced appearance by “a major comedian” that hadn’t gone on sale, he said. So if the closure continues past April 6, he said, the RiverCenter could lose another $150,000-$200,000.
Despite the CDC guidance warning against gathering of 50 or more people for eight weeks, Easterbrook said the RiverCenter’s closure is scheduled as of now until only April 6 “because that’s where the longest window of closure was happening in the community, and that’s the school system. … We want also to make sure that we take this incrementally because good things could always happen. This could go away.”
Still, he considers this the biggest disruption during his 35 years in the industry.
Reserve funds could enable the RiverCenter to operate without programming and services for 9-12 months, Easterbrook said, “but that’s with no major repairs, just strictly salaries and daily bills. It would involve having to tap into funds we’ve set aside in endowments and so on, which would truly threaten future programming for which those funds were intended.”
The RiverCenter has an insurance policy that covers business interruption, Easterbrook said. The initial response from the carrier was that this situation wouldn’t be covered, he said, but he intends to consult with legal counsel.
If the RiverCenter’s fundraising doesn’t recover the lost revenue, Easterbrook said, “We’d have to cut back services to the community. We’d have to take a serious look at the events we sponsor and support, the free events that we do. You would see a significant change.”
Columbus Symphony Orchestra
The Columbus Symphony Orchestra, which is housed in the RiverCenter, has postponed two of its nine concerts scheduled for this season: the March 17 “Carnival of the Animals” concert and school group performances and the March 28 “Firebird & Carmina Burana concert. No rescheduled dates have been announced.
The estimated loss of ticket revenue from those postponements is roughly $42,000 out of $110,000 budgeted this fiscal year, CSO marketing director Kristen Hudson told the L-E.
“There are also significant costs we have incurred to prepare for these performances that will not be recouped,” she said in an email. “Additionally, our musicians are losing wages from the postponement of our events as well as from cancellations of performances from regional orchestras and ensembles across the Southeast. We are doing everything we can to plan for the rescheduling of these concerts and to better support our musicians through this time.”
Youth Orchestra of Greater Columbus
Housed in the Columbus State University Schwob School of Music portion of the RiverCenter, the Youth Orchestra of Greater Columbus won’t rehearse or perform while CSU’s campus is closed for the rest of this semester, YOGC executive director Stephanie Payne told the L-E.
So the YOGC’s April 7 and April 28 concerts have been postponed indefinitely. Although both would have been free admission, Payne estimated those postponements, combined with the depressed stock market, could cost the organization $13,000 in decreased donations out of its $166,700 budget this fiscal year.
Payne also noted an emotional cost.
“YOGC families are incredibly tight-knit,” she said in an email. “Students always talk about the close friendships formed from their time in YOGC with children that they may or may not have known otherwise. YOGC prides itself on being a safe, supportive place where our musicians not only learn about music and how to grow up to be an amazing adult and community leader, but foster a strong sense of community, acceptance, teamwork, and understanding as well. YOGC board and staff are working on ways to continue holistically serve the physical, emotional, mental, and musical health of our YOGC families.”
The L-E didn’t reach any CSU official for comment about the impact of its remaining performing arts season being canceled.
This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 9:00 AM.
