This holiday season, the unrelenting pandemic will strike an economic blow to Columbus鈥� downtown entertainment sector. The ever-popular 鈥淣utcracker鈥� ballet and other seasonal performances will not be live on stage.
鈥淭o lose those shows that are here every single year and are really a mainstay of what we host at the Ohio Theatre, it鈥檚 certainly disappointing,鈥� says Chad Whittington, president and CEO of . 鈥淚t鈥檚 a tough year.鈥�
Whittington says while most of the money from ticket sales for 鈥淭he Nutcracker鈥� would go to Ballet Met, CAPA does receive $3.50 for every ticket sold.
鈥淟ast year, it was roughly 22 performances that brought in almost 40,000 people to the Ohio Theatre, so that鈥檚 a lot of financial impact,鈥� Whittington says.
The total impact is nearly $3 million from all CAPA's holiday shows, including 鈥淎 Christmas Carol鈥� and Holiday Pops with the Columbus Symphony, amounting to about 15% of the organization's annual revenues.
鈥淲e get rent revenue for renting the building,鈥� Whittington says. 鈥淲e get the concessions when folks are in the building. And we get a facilities fee that鈥檚 part of every ticket sold, it鈥檚 $3.50, and again that money is put directly into a fund to do improvements in the Ohio Theatre.鈥�
Whittington says because of the pandemic and restrictions on in-person contact, CAPA laid off all of its part-time employees during the shutdown in mid-March. It then laid off more than half of its full-time employees, about 45 people, in July.
鈥淢ost of them have lost their ability to earn a living right now, and like folks in a lot of industry sectors, they鈥檙e struggling,鈥� Whittington says.
Sue Porter, executive director of , says her organization will lose more than $2 million from the cancellation of all its fall and holiday performances, including 鈥淭he Nutcracker.鈥� That鈥檚 nearly 30% of annual revenues of $7 million.
鈥淲e鈥檙e an organization that has clearly prided itself on having earned revenue, but without being able to have the earned revenue, we鈥檝e had to ask for more contributed revenue,鈥� Porter says.
Porter says Ballet Met donors have contributed enough money to rehire 23 professional dancers in January. In place of the staged show, Ballet Met has produced a virtual experience called 鈥淎 Nutcracker Holiday," which is available now.
Whittington says some of CAPA's other holiday performances will be presented virtually with old footage of shows. Now that CAPA has obtained the technology for virtual performances, he says will be used as another tool to reach an audience.
鈥淎t the Palace Theatre, for example, you can only fit 2,700 people into the theatre for a performance,鈥� says Whittington. 鈥淔rom a virtual perspective, you don鈥檛 have that capacity limit. It is an opportunity to make more people aware of the things that go on.鈥�
Whittington says he is optimistic for 2021, when a COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be distributed across the country, but he understands returning to in-person events will take time.
鈥淩ealistically, performing arts like stadiums and other places where people need to be there in large numbers, we鈥檙e going to be one of the last that gets the opportunity to reopen," Whittington says.
CAPA is hoping to resume some version of 鈥渘ormal鈥� performances by next September.
