Going Virtual

(L-R) Liz Conway and Beth Wood in “The Loush Sisters” at Cleveland Public Theatre. Photo: Steve Wagner

​Recent research published by the Brookings Institution reports that the performing arts have been the most at risk and the hardest hit by COVID-19 of all the creative arts industries.  It was estimated that, nationwide, almost 1.4 million jobs and $42.5 billion in sales have been lost to date.  Locally, Cleveland’s Playhouse Square expects to lose nearly $4 million and layoff or furlough nearly 200 employees between March, when its theaters were closed, and the end of the calendar year. In theaters, concert halls and arenas across the region, thousands of live performances have been canceled or indefinitely postponed. 
 
And yet, creative retooling and forward-thinking has recently taken place, as many arts organizations seek an audience among those in isolation and find virtue in going virtual.  They are profiled in CANVAS magazine and in a reprint of the piece in the CJN, which can be found here: 
 
https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/news/culture/theater/northeast-ohio-arts-organizations-go-virtual-during-pandemic/article_0525c9f0-2a7c-11eb-9370-876bf4ebcd3e.html