The Augusta arts community has been hit hard by the pandemic with theaters shuttered for months and concerts and plays cancelled.
“We’ve all had to adjust during the pandemic,” said Anne Catherine Murray, executive director for the Augusta Symphony. “We’ve had to tighten our belts.”
But the creatives behind the art and theater have come up with ways to make themselves viable and still pay the bills.
Storyland Theatre’s audience is primarily made up of schoolchildren with most of their shows attended in the form of field trips. Each season, the group performs each of the three shows 13 times to an audience of well over 22,000 people.
With Augusta University’s Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre closed and no field trips for children, the organization had to cancel its last show of the 2019-2020 season and the entire 2020-2021 season, so Storyland’s executive director came up with a different approach.
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“We’re really excited about this project,” said Barbara Feldman, of the organization’s newest endeavor, “Humphrey Clinker Gets His Wish.”
Feldman calls it an original illustrated musical utilizing the talents of local performers. Written by Rick Davis with music by Susan Burgess, it’s actually a play but since it can’t be performed, it comes to life through illustrations with some animation and the voice talents of five local actors.
The actors went into the studio about two weeks ago to do the recording, and Feldman said she hopes to have the production ready in mid-to-late February.
While viewing “Humphrey Clinker Gets His Wish” will be free, Feldman said she hopes to create an online ticketing process to keep track of how many people view the production.
Numbers are important when writing grants.
Storyland relies heavily on the support of organizations such as the Knox Foundation and other charities. She wrote four grants to get Humphrey Clinker produced, and she was turned down for all of them.
Not only do children experience live theater through Storyland’s usual programming, but Feldman creates lesson plans that adhere to the academic standards set forth by the states of Georgia and South Carolina, so it’s a learning experience. Humphrey Clinker also has a set of plans for teachers to incorporate it into their curriculum.
She’s hopeful for a return to the stage in October, but until then, there’s Harvey Clinker and two video productions of live stage plays – one is a recording of “Jack and the Beanstalk” and the other is a recording of “Cinderella.”
Storyland isn’t the only theater group that has had to cancel its season. The Aiken Community Theatre canceled its 2020-2021 season, and so has Le Chat Noir.
In a typical season, Le Chat Noir does one show about every two months.
Krys Bailey, Le Chat Noir’s executive director, said the only shows going on at Le Chat Noir right now are First Friday’s Improv with Schrodinger’s Cat at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Also, Augusta Neat has been renting the building for its monthly whiskey tastings.
The Augusta Players have also taken a leap into the virtual world putting several productions in an online platform.
“We started virtual in May,” said Scott Seidl, the group’s executive and artistic director.
One of the earliest performances was called “United We Sing.”
“I was almost shocked at how successful it was,” he said.
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Before Christmas, the group had the “Really Big Christmas” event with two plays streamed for $10. The Augusta Junior Players presented “The Land of Forgotten Toys” while the Augusta Players performed “A Jingle Family Christmas.”
Also at Christmas, the group had an online auction to raise funds.
Earlier this month, the group streamed a video-taped performance of “Tea For Three: Lady Bird, Pat and Betty.”
The Players have two additional shows coming up in February – “The Velveteen Rabbit” and “The Mountaintop.”
The Augusta Symphony has had to adjust its schedules as well, according to Murray.
“We are re-imagining things,” she said.
The organization postponed its pops concerts and is having scaled down versions of its symphony series. The next concert in the symphony series is America on Feb. 20. The concert is sold out, but there are still tickets available for the 2 p.m. dress rehearsal. Also, people can sign up to watch the live stream.
Murray said that they can only safely seat 300 people in the Miller Theater and that the size of the orchestra has also been paired down. Season subscribers had the option of watching the concert in the theater or livestreaming it.
The symphony wasn’t able to hold its annual gala, so it held a raffle right before Christmas.
The Miller Theater currently has the “Give A Seat” program. People can purchase a seat in honor of someone and a gold name plate will be placed on the seat. Seats range from $50 to $250 with the donations going to the COVID-19 sustainability fund.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
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