Operating a theater company, or probably any arts institution, over the past few years has felt like a roller coaster.
For months, we’d talk hypotheticals, plan options and run budgets, but couldn’t start working on anything because predicting what COVID would bring in next three months proved impossible.
All of a sudden, we’d get a break of light. A grant for an outdoor concert series, vaccines becoming more readily available, clarity on union guidelines — followed by the whole company jumping into overdrive to try to make something beautiful, impactful, something that felt “normal” in a third of the time we would usually have.
Then halfway through that process COVID would throw us a new wrinkle and we’d have to pivot. Reconfigure. Figure out how to respond.
It’s been incredibly challenging.
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To add to all the uncertainty, there was staff turnover, and artists and collaborators had to make tough decisions about their futures in the business. I mean, how do you rehearse a romantic love scene in masks?! How does a theater company full of folks who are trained to build sets, sew costumes, sell tickets, and tell stories on stage administer 150 COVID tests every day for months on end, across multiple cities? How do we respond to patrons who won’t attend if we don’t do vaccine checks at the door … and to patrons who won’t attend if we do?
We continue to feel enormous gratitude for the support we’ve received over the last couple of years —from individuals, our subscribers, our volunteers, from foundations, the city of Wilmington, the State of Delaware, and even the Federal Government. Without that support we would not have been able to keep the building we’ve called home since 1985 (and continue to serve the community that’s stood by Delaware Theatre Company since 1979!), and we certainly would not have been able to produce some of our most popular events over the last two and half years.
From Broadway to regional and community theaters across the country, ticket sales have been all over the map. We’ve learned that here in Wilmington, the popular shows sold extremely well, and the less popular ones saw historically low ticket sales. It seems (perhaps intuitively) that people are only willing to return for things that they are especially excited to see. In general, there’s less willingness to take a risk on something unknown.
As a company that takes pride in being a home for emerging artists and new works, we remain interested in our audience’s feedback — be it via word of mouth or by keeping a close eye on ticket sales. With more than a few successful performances on our stage between last season and this, we are starting to creep closer to pre-pandemic audience numbers.
It’s a trend that encourages us to keep on keepin’ on.
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For the sake of our audience, our city, our culture and ourselves, we’re prioritizing joy this season.
Artistic Director Bud Martin and Executive Director Matt Silva have crafted a season that is celebratory and inspirational.
While we aim to delight those seated in the audience, this positive energy is reflected behind the scenes as well. Hearing the “Here You Come Again” band rehearse classic Dolly Parton tunes during the day while I fill out expense reports at my desk has me smiling and toe tapping!
I think what’s really exciting about our season is the amount of heart it embodies. If you’ve seen “Here You Come Again,” you saw music guide our protagonist, Kevin, through some really difficult times. I think it helps guide us too.
Our next show, “Black Angels over Tuskegee” tells the story of six men embarking upon a journey to become the first aviators in the United States Army Air Forces during a tumultuous era of racial segregation and Jim Crow-era injustices in 20th century American history.
“Black Angels” is an uplifting and inspirational story inspired by true events. The production movingly illustrates how the men unite in brotherhood to achieve a communal vision. We welcome “Black Angels Over Tuskegee” to our stage from Oct. 2 to 30.
We hope you’ll join us and share in our joy. We can’t wait to welcome you back. Masks are optional this season, and whether or not you choose to wear one — we hope to see you smile.
Nathan Renner-Johnson is production and general manager of the Delaware Theatre Company.
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