🔒Hartford theaters face long bounce back from pandemic’s harsh impact

The global pandemic hit Hartford’s theaters hard, forcing them to close for months.

They lost subscribers — the financial lifeline for many nonprofit arts institutions — and there was an overall feeling by some theater executives, particularly during the pandemic’s early days, that they might never recover.

Several federal aid programs — and loyal donors — kept many theaters afloat, and now that they have reopened, patrons are slowly coming back to see live entertainment.

But industry executives say it will be a slow recovery, likely taking years to fully bounce back from the pandemic, a sobering reality for a key Hartford and statewide industry.

The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that the arts and culture sector contributed $9.7 billion to Connecticut’s economy in 2019, representing 3.4% of the state’s GDP and 56,865 jobs, according to the Americans for the Arts Action Fund.

“[It will take] another two to three years of recovery to rebuild our audience and to re-imagine what that looks like,” said Rob Ruggerio, producing artistic director for Hartford-based Theaterworks, which was one of the few theaters across the country that did not go dark following the pandemic that shutdown many theaters beginning in March 2020.

Flipping the switch

Theaterworks currently has about 2,000 subscribers, down by more than half from 5,000 pre-pandemic, Ruggerio said. The theater is back to a full schedule, he added, but attendance, on average, is running at about 50% based on total capacity, or about 60% based on pre-pandemic levels.

“I believe in the power of live theater and connecting with people, but some people are just not ready to go back,” said Ruggerio, who noted his organization is currently featuring the comedy “Zoey’s Perfect Wedding” in its 188-seat theater.

Similarly, Hartford Stage Managing Director Cynthia Rider said it will take her organization about three years to fully come back from the financial and emotional losses the pandemic brought.

Hartford Stage, which operates on a $10 million budget, lost more than $5 million during the pandemic, she said.

Federal aid programs helped sustain the organization but it reduced its staff by 70%.

Hartford Stage reopened in October 2021, with a production of “Ah, Wilderness!,” a comedy about the growing pains of adolescence.

“Are people coming back to the theater? Yes, but slowly,” Rider said. “It’s not the kind of thing where you flip the switch and everything is back to what it was pre-pandemic. Our subscribers are at 3,700, 52% of what they were in 2018 and 2019. It will take a good three years to be back at those numbers.”

In addition, Rider said, single ticket sales are down 30% and the marketing budget — key to attracting audiences — is down nearly $400,000, at a little over $1 million.

Theaters are also trying to rebuild their donor roster and staffs, a situation made more difficult by the competitive job market.

David Fay, CEO of The Bushnell, said his organization during the worst stretch of the pandemic was forced to lay off 90% of its 417 full- and part-time employees. It has had to rebuild staffing levels as it reopened, starting last October with a performance by the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.

The bounce back

Despite the challenging environment, theater executives say their recovery has begun.

And their strategies to move forward include a myriad of marketing initiatives, reaching out to more donors, including large corporations, maintaining some virtual programming, and offering in-demand shows.

The Bushnell expects a major bump in attendance this June and July, when the Broadway hit “Hamilton” returns for its second run.

The musical, which previously played in Hartford in 2018, will have 24 performances in The Bushnell’s 2,700-seat Mortensen Hall theater. Ticket sales for the 2-hour-and-45-minute musical are going quickly and will likely sell out, Fay said.

“While we are not quite back to pre-pandemic audience levels, we are on our way there,” Fay said. “We are seeing continued improvement in the trend of sales to all shows. Major branded shows like ‘Evan Hansen’ and ‘Hamilton’ are doing what we would have expected pre-pandemic.”

He noted that industrywide only 60% of touring shows and entertainers are back on the road at this point, but that number is gradually growing.

All three Hartford arts organizations said marketing is key to drawing back crowds.

Fay said between 8% and 10% of The Bushnell’s ticket sales income goes toward marketing shows. The theater leans heavily on digital media, while Theaterworks relies on social media, Google and its 20,000-person mailing list.

Rider said the 500-seat Hartford Stage also does direct mail, online banner ads and radio. For the first time, it will advertise on Hartford buses this month to promote the performance of “Kiss My Aztec,” which will run from June 1 through June 26.

While marketing gets the word out to potential theater-goers, it is the support of existing and future donors that keep the financial engines running.

Rider said Hartford Stage typically gets half its income from donors and half from ticket sales. With ticket sales yet to reach pre-pandemic levels, there is a need to raise more donor funding, she said.

“With ticket sales down, philanthropy gets more important to sustain us now,” Rider said, adding Hartford Stage expects to end the current fiscal year with a surplus, thanks to federal pandemic relief funds.

Hartford Stage scored a victory when it raised $6.3 million from donors and others through its “Raise the Curtain” fundraising campaign, which wrapped up last year. It expects to raise another $300,000 from its upcoming gala this month at the Pratt & Whitney airline hangar.

“Until ticket sales go back up, these events are our bread and butter,” Rider said.

Ruggerio said Theaterworks’ budget, which was $2.5 million pre-pandemic, now hovers at around $1.7 million.

Ruggerio said a steady flow of funds from sources like the state, CT Humanities, Bank of America and Travelers Cos. has helped sustain the theater, which will likely report a financial loss in the current fiscal year.

One way Theaterworks hopes to continue to grow and sustain its donor and subscriber bases is by continuing to offer virtual programming, which became a staple during the pandemic.

It’s not a direct revenue source right now, but virtual performances extend theaters’ reach and help engage audiences no matter where they are located.

“We go 12 months a year, but the winter months are the quietest as many theater-goers head south,” Ruggiero said. “We are committed to a virtual delivery. We deliver to those patrons virtually. The show is captured live, although it’s not livestreamed. We, like all arts organizations, are watching closely to better understand what patrons want. We know flexibility is a big piece of that, thus our ongoing effort to provide the virtual option.”

Finally, theater executives hope as the pandemic continues to fade more people will be comfortable returning to indoor live entertainment.

The Bushnell has abandoned its mask mandates and Hartford Stage will do the same starting June 1. Theaterworks has not removed its mask mandate and has moved to mask required performances and mask recommended performances.