Meanwhile, at least two local theater organizations, Tricklock Company and Aux Dog Theatre, have permanently closed. Albuquerque is a wonderful place for DIY arts because it is so affordable to live here.” A scene from the q-Staff Theatre production of Promenade. In a way, the quarantine has allowed people to take a deep breath and develop their ideas. “I don’t feel that the community is decimated. We have to have income outside of ticket sales,” says Timmerman, who adds that q-Staff Theatre was designed to present experimental performances rather than focus on money-making productions. “The money that the theater generates is used to fund the theater. When Timmerman and Van Schouwen needed to forgive the rent on their other rental spaces, they dipped into their savings and procured day jobs working at a veterinary clinic and a handyman, respectively. That’s the only reason we survived,” says Timmerman during an in-person interview at the downtown venue located at Broadway Boulevard SE and Lead Avenue SE. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the theater produced twenty annual events, ranging from single-night shows to experimental collaborations-for instance, audience members for Promenade, originated by Stereo Akt of Budapest, Hungary, were driven in a bus to watch the performance unfold in various city locations. Sandy Timmerman and her partner Richard Van Schouwen run q-Staff Theatre, which can accommodate approximately 100 audience members.
Obviously, we can’t control the audience.” “Our staff and volunteers are required to be vaccinated. “People seem to want to come back,” Avery says. They’ve hired back staff members, but are experiencing difficulty finding cleaners for the space on San Pasquale Ave SW. Albuquerque Little Theatre, which owns its building, received government funding as well as patron donations. Courtesy Albuquerque Little Theatre.Īvery says that a summer sponsorship from Albuquerque-based electric company Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) helped them through the uncertainty. Albuquerque Little Theatre, which is nearing 100 years in business, recently presented in-person plays. Henry Avery, executive and artistic director of Albuquerque Little Theatre-a community-based company in its ninety-second year-says the theater shuttered the day before Lujan Grisham’s proclamation “for the safety of our patrons… in the middle of Beauty and the Beast, a sold-out show,” Avery explains. Albuquerque Little Theatre started off the season earlier this month with Barrymore and The Belle of Amherst.Įach surviving theater found its own path through quarantine. Popejoy Hall, Albuquerque Little Theatre, Musical Theatre Southwest, and q-Staff Theatre have plans for live and in-person productions. For those that remain, they’re sifting through pandemic trauma and into an unknown landscape, but also feel hopeful for a fruitful 2021-2022 season. Once theater gets underway this fall, there will be fewer venues to visit due to the permanent closures of several performing arts organizations. It’s been surreal ever since.”Īs local theater companies prepare for a return of in-person performances, they’re confronting financial, logistical, and health and safety challenges. “We got order to shut down, and right away decided to turn the trucks around. “We were halfway through unloading seven or eight trucks for Escape to Margaritaville. Courtesy q-Staff Theatre.ĪLBUQUERQUE, NM- Popejoy Hall director Tom Tkach remembers the moment in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the theater, located on the main campus of the University of New Mexico, to perform a 180. The Exodus Ensemble Will Upend Your RealityĪlbuquerque theater companies are persevering through financial considerations and pandemic concerns to present DIY offerings and mainstream performing arts, including Hamilton, during the 2021-2022 season.
Review: Patrick Dean Hubbell: Tack Room Challenges Representations of Indigenous Peoples.Review: Jorge Rojas: Material Witness at Granary Arts.Nancy Rivera’s Laborious Practice Pulls a Thread Between Her Art-Making Process and Her Immigration Experience.Utah’s Expanded Art Budget Increases Opportunities for Artists.Amelia Bauer: 12 New Mexico Artists to Know Now 2022.Morgan Barnard: 12 New Mexico Artists to Know Now 2022.Announcing the 12 New Mexico Artists to Know Now 2022.One on One: Sean Sheehan of Sheehan Winery.
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