Regional Spotlight: How the Auditorium Theatre is Working Through The Global Health Crisis

Now more than ever it is important to support theater and do our part to keep the art form that we love so much alive and as thriving as it can be during these unprecedented times. While the global health crisis has temporarily put the theater world on hold, pausing all live performances and large gatherings to help stop the spread of COVID-19, theaters around the country have taken a hit. During this time of adjusting to our temporary new normal, theaters are figuring out how to take care of their team, and discovering the best ways to virtually bring theater to audiences.

Through our regional theater interview series, we are checking in with theaters all around the country, talking to them about how they are handling these difficult circumstances, learning what they are doing to move forward, and discovering the best way for people to help regional theaters during this time.

Today we shine a spotlight on Chicago's Auditorium Theatre with CEO, Rich Regan.

First of all, I want to check in on the health and well-being of everyone at the Auditorium Theatre. How is everyone doing during this difficult time?

Gratefully, everyone is healthy and safe so far. We check in with our team on a regular basis and health is foremost on everyone's mind right now, as it should be.

What do the days look like right now for those who work at the Auditorium Theatre?

We're staying busy. Our marketing team is hard at work developing content for our social media channels and our website. Our development team is making personal calls to donors, just to check in and see how they are doing. We also sent out a special gift to some of our biggest supporters, an Auditorium Theatre puzzle, which has been really well-received - people are looking for activities to do right now! Our ticket services representatives are calling ticket-buyers to discuss options with them and keep them up-to-date on any rescheduled performances and canceled and postponed events. Our custodial manager has done an amazing job of disinfecting the theatre from top to bottom to make sure that our building is clean and ready for the day that we can reopen our doors.

We're also still planning as much as we possibly can for next season, rescheduling shows that have been impacted by COVID-19, and preparing for the day that we can begin hosting performances again.

How much planning is going on both short term and long term for the theater? I would like to hear about the immediate plans for the theater, it's upcoming productions etc., and what the theater is hoping/planning for in future months.

We've had to shift our focus for the short-term towards our online content, with all of our upcoming events at least through May canceled or rescheduled. In the longer term, we're hoping to announce our 2020-21 season soon and reschedule as many performances that we've had to postpone as possible, and also to continue to book new programming for both next season and seasons after that. We want to make sure that we're in a position to open our doors as soon as it is safe to do so, and when that time comes, we want to continue doing what we've done for 130 years: bring the greatest musicians, singers, speakers, dancers, and other performing artists to our stage.

Of course, everything is very fluid and could change at any time, but we're definitely looking ahead.

Do you have plans to bring any previously filmed productions/upcoming events/classes etc. online?

We're in an interesting position because we are a presenting venue, not a performance company. We don't have many of our previous performances archived, but we do have some clips from our archives posted on our YouTube page, which we feature on social media every week in #FlashbackFriday posts. We're also working hard to create new content during this time to keep our community engaged, and are also trying to support other arts and culture institutions around Chicago.

We've been hosting live At Home With the Auditorium performances every Sunday evening, featuring singers, musicians, and dancers that are part of the Auditorium's past, present, and future - past performers have included dancers from Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater and Rodrick Dixon and Alfreda Burke from Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah. Each week, we post a new episode of our #AudTalk podcast, which features people from our arts and culture community.

We've also been hosting watch parties for other events on Facebook. So, for example, whenever our partner Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater premieres content on Facebook, we host a watch party, which lets our community watch and engage together - it's sort of like going to the theater with your friends, or as close to that experience as we can provide at this time.

What is the best way for people to help the Auditorium Theatre right now?

We are also grateful for donations of any kind, since we are a non-profit theatre. And while we are currently closed, we are still planning for the future and our next 130 years, so buying a gift card that can be used at a later date is helpful. We also hope that our supporters will come back to the theater for a performance or event when it is safe to do so.

In the meantime, keeping up with us on social media helps us stay connected to our supporters and friends while we can't be together in person.

For more information visit: https://www.auditoriumtheatre.org/. Donate HERE. Buy a gift certificate HERE. Listen to their #AudTalk podcast HERE. Check out their virtual events on Facebook HERE.