MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — The lights are dark at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Minneapolis. There hasn’t been a live show since early April.
“It’s been extraordinarily difficult for live theaters in general,” Hennepin Theatre Trust CEO Mark Nerenhausen said.
Governor Tim Walz spoke to leaders of Minnesota’s arts community via phone Wednesday.
The CEO of the Ordway, that had to lay off hundreds of employees last month, said the call was a good dialogue and a show of support for the arts. He said it’s too soon to say if there will be live theater in 2020.
“For us, I don’t know too many musicals where the characters can be six feet apart,” Ordway CEO Jamie Grant said. “It’s hard to imagine how that works.”
The Weisman Art museum closed down in March after the University of Minnesota announced it would be canceling classes for the rest of the year. The summer season at Orchestra Hall was rescheduled to 2021.
Theater Latte Da in Northeast Minneapolis announced it will not be rolling out a 2020-2021 lineup. Instead, the theater is using this time to write new scripts and music that would ultimately go to the stage.
“I just believe it’s been a fabric of this country and it will come back but we absolutely need support,” Theater Latte Da artistic director Peter Rothstein said.
Hennepin Theatre Trust says people can still buy tickets to shows that are scheduled for the future and would be refunded if they are canceled. The CEO says it’s a good time to donate to your local arts organization if you are able.
