It’s been a long hard 2 years for many in the performing arts. When COVID made it impossible to sell enough tickets to make the bills, many organizations were forced to reduce their staffs and even shut down completely. During the shut-down, many artists and technicians who previously made their living providing us with entertainment, were in turn forced to wait out the storm or seek sources of income in other ways. Two years later, not much has changed. Theatres still struggle to bring in enough money to pay live-able wages to folks who, more often than not, invest well beyond 40-hours a week, sacrifice weekends and evenings, and have little to no benefits to protect them from the next shut-down or even provide for a reasonable retirement when that day should come.
I know. It’s for the love of the art that we work in the arts and we should feel blessed that we’re able to do something that we love and get paid for it.
Hogwash!
Everyone should be doing something that they love and get paid for it. If you don’t enjoy working in the theater, that’s fine but know that you enjoy going to the movies, queuing up a Netflix or Disney+ movie for a little more than a couple of cups of coffee a month. Those monies help make it possible for people in the arts to continue to provide you with that entertainment and it should be no different in your neighborhood. Support your local arts organizations by giving where you can. In perspective, if less than 500 people in your community each gave $10/month to support their local theater, that would go a long ways towards fiscally supporting even just one of the likely 9 other people who help program shows and movies, provide a clean and safe viewing environment, and literally keep the lights on.
If you already donate in the arts, share your story.
If you don’t, why not?
Life is a Backstage Production 