Editor’s note: Open Call is a weekly column in which we ask arts and cultural leaders to share their perspectives on emerging from the COVID-19 crisis and welcoming back audiences.
Optimism.
For many this was in short supply in 2020, but 2021 seemed to open the door slightly to the possibility of optimism. And while 2021 was still filled with uncertainty, it seemed to turn a corner and give us the sense that we could be hopeful again. And nowhere was this seen more than in the arts.
Museums opened up. Theaters threw their doors open for movies and plays and music.
You could sense a collective air of relief as we began experiencing things again.
But no one forgot. I heard many people say it had been 15 months since they’d seen a movie, or 18 months since they saw a live band. And for the artists involved, being sidelined for that long seemed like an eternity.
In the performing arts, that bottled up energy, combined with a gratefulness to be able to return (with a hint of uncertainty about how long it would last) had artists giving everything they had in every performance. This created an incredible energy between artist and audience.
Everyone was thrilled to be there. Everyone was grateful they could. Everyone was
giving everything they had.
The Rock Orchestra played its last pre-pandemic show in February 2020. Our next scheduled performance was for May of that year. Obviously, it had to wait. We did manage to cautiously return with BeatleFest in the summer of 2021, but we were uncertain when we’d resume our regular season shows at The Grand Opera House.
That answer was 21 months. And when we finally hit the stage with our Evening of Elton John show in November, it was unlike any musical experience I’ve ever known.
With 29 musicians on stage and over 700 people in the audience there was this overwhelming sense of joy and gratitude. We were all finally able to lose ourselves in just being together and enjoying a couple hours of music we loved.
When I spoke to people after the show, you could see how important this was to them. And how much they missed it. As we all did.
And I was overcome. I got to play music again. I got to see people I hadn’t seen in months. I got to do the thing I enjoy more than anything else in the world.
More:Open Call: Bringing the power of music to everyone is aim of The Music School of Delaware
More:Open Call: ‘Mistakes’ in art lead to vital creative transformation
I also got COVID.
A few of us did. But we were all vaccinated and thankfully the cases were mild. We are living in a pandemic. And it’s not over. But we still have optimism. So we move forward.
When I got my results I was in the middle of rehearsals for City Theater Company’s return to the stage where I was directing “Once.” It sidelined us for 10 days, but we worked the best we could via Zoom until we could get back in the room. And when we did the cast went into high gear and we had a fantastic run of eight sold-out shows without incident.
CTC now performs out of the black box at The Delaware Contemporary thanks in no small part to the renewed optimism of the arts community and a dedication to continue to bring great theater to this city. The partnership between CTC and TDC was born out of a determination to survive. To be part of the art that gets us through and rewards us for our struggle.
As I write this, I am anticipating taking the stage on Jan. 22 at the Kennett Flash fronting the Billy Joel tribute band Angry Young Band.
TRO returns to the baby grand theater in February for our sold-out Tom Petty show and again in May when we’ll be playing some Genesis.
CTC returns in March with a new play by David Robson called “Blues In My Soul,” which I’m also directing. The annual “Shine A Light” concert will return for the 10th time on March 5.
And as the temperatures rise, we’ll be seeing the return of area festivals and concert series all over the city.
But as I write this, we’ve taken a small step back. We are cautious. But it won’t stop us.
We will be patient and safe. But we’ll still move forward.
Because, if I’ve been reminded of anything during these last two years, it’s that the arts and artists in Delaware have an unbelievable amount of determination and dedication.
And maybe even something more important these days. Optimism.
Joe Trainor is co-founder of The Rock Orchestra.
