The Bushnell Performing Arts Center has furloughed 32 part- and full-time employees in downtown Hartford due to mandatory shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a state labor filing shows.
David Fay, president and CEO of The Bushnell, in a letter to the state Department of Labor (DOL) on Friday said the nonprofit organization does not expect the furloughs lasting longer than six months. The letter, made publicly available late Monday, said furloughs were expected to occur on Sunday, April 5.
Some of the affected employees are members of an industry union known as the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees & Moving Pictures Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts. Affected job titles were not listed in the letter.
Fay in the letter said the public health crisis has “severely affected The Bushnell’s operations.”
“The Bushnell could not have anticipated the need to conduct these furloughs prior to the governor’s executive order, but is providing as much notice as practicable under the circumstances,” Fay said.
The Bushnell in a statement Monday said numerous postponed performances are currently being rescheduled.
Fay added that the venue does not yet “have any firm reopening date.”
“Governor Lamont’s mandate for closures extends to the end of April,” he said. “We are respecting that, and at the same time are preparing for the possibility of extensions of closure beyond the current guideline.”
The Bushnell is just one of many arts institutions taking a major hit from the coronavirus outbreak.
A recent Greater Hartford Arts Council survey found that Hartford’s “Big Four” arts groups — The Bushnell, Hartford Stage, TheaterWorks and Hartford Symphony Orchestra — stand to lose a combined $6.6 million if the coronavirus shuts down production for three months.
Meantime, several arts organizations in the area are staying engaged with audiences via their artistic leaders through virtual interactions.
