Birmingham arts groups struggle during pandemic but seek to adapt, move forward

The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the U.S. economy hard. Millions have lost their jobs. Thousands of small businesses have closed.

Nonprofits have been hurt, as well, including the arts and cultural organizations that enrich our lives.

Birmingham Ballet announced in July it would close indefinitely. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is temporarily closed.

Iron City Ink surveyed most of the large arts groups and venues in Birmingham to learn how they’ve adapted.

“I’ve worked with most of the performing arts organizations in this community, and they’re responding to the crisis just as I would expect them to respond,” said Kelly Dean Allison, chair of the UAB Department of Theatre. “They don’t give up. They adjust.”

We also asked the groups what they’ve planned for the fall, live or online.

These plans could change due to the pandemic’s fluid nature, so be sure to check the arts groups’ websites and social media for updates.

THEATER

► Birmingham Children’s Theatre

Three productions were shut down when COVID-19 hit in March, but Birmingham Children’s Theatre stayed busy the past six months:

• Created the video series #AtHomeWithBCT, featuring theater lessons and entertainment for kids
• Moved its popular summer camps, including the new Imagine Outside the Box, to a virtual format
• Created the new Cardboard Puppet Theatre online

“They say necessity is the mother of invention, and while we all long to have roaring audiences in our theater spaces again, there are some beautiful ideas being discovered right now,” said Ashley Woods, interim executive artistic director at BCT.

Fall plans are still in development at press time, but two shows are scheduled:

• “The Girl Who Swallowed a Cactus” (Oct. 5-Nov. 20). This one-performer show by Eric Coble will tour schools for outdoor performances and be available virtually.
• “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (Tentatively scheduled for three weekends beginning Oct. 9). Presented in the Avondale Amphitheater, the inventive staging of the Shakespeare play will feature movement actors masked and voice actors on the side of the stage, all properly distanced from each other. “This project is entirely reliant on securing outside funding and won’t be confirmed until mid-September,” Woods said.

For details, call 205-458-8181 or go to bct123.org.

► Birmingham Festival Theatre

The venerable Birmingham Festival Theatre is down but not out after canceling the majority of its season during the pandemic.

“The board has been focusing on getting financial aid, which has been difficult,” said Rhonda Erbrick, president of BFT’s board of directors. “The rent and bills are still there, so we’re constantly on the lookout.”

BFT has also worked on its website, and the play selection committee “has not stopped reading and planning future seasons,” Erbrick said.

Dates haven’t been set, but BFT hopes to offer some shows this fall, perhaps recorded or outdoor, “while keeping everyone safe,” Erbrick said.

Bottom line, BFT — located in Five Points South for nearly 50 years — will be back.

“We’re not going anywhere and will push through this,” Erbrick said.

For information, call 205-948-7033 or go to bftonline.org.

► Birmingham-Southern College Theatre

During the pandemic, theater faculty and staff began preparing for the fall by staying in contact with students, learning about safety and health precautions and exploring video and socially-distanced options, said Alan Litsey, Theatre Department chairman.

One fall production is tentatively planned, and the spring will feature two shows, including a Shakespeare comedy.

For now, only the fall production has been announced:

• “Made in America” (Oct. 22-24 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 25 at 2:30 p.m., College Theatre Main stage.) Written and performed by BSC students, the show is built around the prompt, “Today my world is ...,” with each actor writing about life amid the pandemic and instances of racial injustice. Face coverings will be required for all attendees,and seating will be limited. Admission is free.

Call 205-226-4928 or go to bsc.edu/academics/theatre.

► Red Mountain Theatre Company

Though it canceled all fall performances, Red Mountain Theatre Company is building its new facility in Parkside near Railroad Park, said Drew Francis, marketing director.

“We continue to stay engaged with our community as we raise funds for the completion of the arts campus,” he said.

All live events have been canceled until the opening of the new arts campus in June 2021, Francis said.

In the meantime, some RMTC conservatory classes will be held in-person this fall.

For information, call 205-324-2424 or go to redmountaintheatre.org.

► Terrific New Theatre

When Terrific New Theatre closed its doors after a few performances of “A Doll’s House” and “A Doll’s House, Part 2” in March, Executive Director Tam DeBolt thought it would be temporary, perhaps two weeks.

But for TNT, at least in its Pepper Place location, it was permanent. On July 31, DeBolt and others moved TNT out of its longtime facility, and the theater is in “hibernation,” she said.

“Things have not halted,” DeBolt said. “We have been applying for federal, state and local assistance. We have had ‘angels’ in Birmingham, both organizations and individuals, show their financial support for TNT. Our board of trustees continues to meet regularly ... to make important and difficult decisions about TNT’s future.”

That future includes a “post-pandemic existence,” according to DeBolt.

“We will start a refreshed and vigorous campaign for capital funding and will be finalizing plans for our new location,” she said.

There will also be some online programming. TNT plans to continue its new internet series, “This ‘n That from TNT,” which started in August.

For more information, call 205-328-0868 or go to terrificnewtheatre.com.

► Theatre UAB

After canceling one of their three spring productions due to COVID-19, the folks at UAB have been regrouping, “determining how to move forward and provide opportunities for our students to create,” said Kelly Dean Allison, chair of UAB’s Department of Theatre.

“Adversity leads to innovation if you don’t simply give up,” he said.

“We’re learning many new things that will make us better artists when (the pandemic) is over,” he said.

A fall outdoor performance was considered, but “there were simply too many unknowns,” Allison said.

Three virtual events are planned for the fall:

• Freshmen Showcase, an online, pre-recorded event for first-year students.
• Student Spotlight Series, also pre-recorded.
• “Virtual Theatre Project,” a combination of live, streamed and pre-recorded content. For more, go to https://vimeo.com/447609732.

For more information, call 205-934-8777 or go uab.edu/theatre.

► Virginia Samford Theatre

The Virginia Samford Theatre has a full slate of productions planned for fall and spring, along with new processes to keep performers and audience members safe.

The staff at VST is “resilient and resourceful,” said Ben Burford, VST’s marketing director.

Those processes include selling only half the available seats in the theater, blocking certain rows for social distancing, requiring masks, doing temperature checks and sanitizing the theater between shows.

“We realize the importance of making our patrons feel safe and comfortable coming back to the theater,” Burford said.

Here’s the VST fall lineup:

• “Love, Linda” (Sept. 17-27). Jan Hunter stars in a one-woman show about Mrs. Cole Porter.
• “The Fantasticks” (Oct. 15-25). The classic musical, featuring songs such as “Soon It’s Gonna Rain” and “Try to Remember.”
• “Disney’s Frozen Jr.” (Nov. 12-22). VST’s youth program, STARS, presents the musical that spawned the song “Let it Go.”

For details, including the spring schedule, call 205-251-1228 or go to virginiasamfordtheatre.org.

DANCE

► Alabama Ballet

The coming of COVID-19 in March forced Alabama Ballet to cancel the rest of its season, including two major productions. The Alabama Ballet School was also closed.

Company dancers have since been unable to rehearse or perform, said Tracey Alvey, the troupe’s artistic director and CEO.

“We share in the challenges with all the other arts organizations in the metro area and understand that we are all facing a difficult road ahead,” Alvey said.

However, a few dancers who quarantined together performed at the Birmingham Art’s Drive-In at UAB this summer, and the company offered classes online.

The company was able to hold its Summer Intensive and other camps with strict safety guidelines.

The Alabama Ballet School opened again Aug. 17 with adapted health and safety policies.

Best of all, Alabama Ballet will present live shows for its 2020-21 season.

They’ll open their season with an in-studio performance, “At Home,” Oct. 16-18, to be live-streamed and performed outdoors at Avondale Brewery.

The first major production, “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker,” will be presented Dec. 17-23 at BJCC Concert Hall.

For information, call 205-322-4300 or go to alabamaballet.org.

MUSIC

► Birmingham Music Club

Birmingham’s oldest cultural arts organization – it’s 115 years old – has canceled several events because of COVID-19, including its Young People’s Concert, formerly scheduled for Oct. 21 at the Alabama Theatre.

In July, the BMC presented a live-streamed jazz concert on the Lyric Theatre stage. More than 7, 400 watched it, said Ron Bourdages, BMC executive director.

Right now, the BMC hopes to return live when it’s safe.

“Nothing can take the place of a live performance for an audience,” Bourdages said. “And we want to thank our sponsors for sticking with us, even though it is not business as usual and we can’t present live concerts.”

For information, call 205-253-1313 or go to bhammusicclub.org.

► Opera Birmingham

Opera Birmingham canceled its main-stage performance of “Cinderella,” the Opera Gala fundraiser and its 42nd Annual Vocal Competition.

However, the organization is “adapting to the times,” said Eleanor P. Walter, the company’s director of marketing and community engagement.

Opera Birmingham used YouTube and other social media to post daily, including videos of past performances. They developed a new video series called #OperaCarpoolKaraoke.

On September 13, Opera Birmingham was scheduled to launch a new mobile version of its Opera Shots concert series. Another Opera Shots is set for September 25.

“We will continue to pop up at unexpected places around town, monthly, through November, performing the greatest hits of opera and musical theatre from the back of a flatbed trailer,” Walter said.

The organization also needs tax-deductible donations “now more than ever,” Walter said.

Call 205-322-6737 or go to operabirmingham.org.

► Alabama Symphony Orchestra

Due to COVID-19, the Alabama Symphony Orchestra has canceled or postponed 40 performances and events since March, said ASO spokesperson Taylor Stewart.

Like other groups, the ASO went online to remain engaged with its audience.

Digital content included “Tuneful Tuesday,” a weekly segment of ASO musicians playing pieces from Mozart to the Beatles.

The symphony also took part in the pre-recorded Birmingham Arts Drive-In event on the UAB campus this summer.

“It is our genuine hope to welcome patrons back into the concert hall as soon as it is safe to do so,” Stewart said.

Just before press time, the ASO announced it would move its previously announced 2020-21 performances forward to the 2021-22 season.

The ASO will “redefine the current season through a virtual lens” and “interact with music lovers on a digital platform,” according to a symphony news release.

For information, go to alabamasymphony.org.

VISUAL ART

► The Birmingham Museum of Art closed on March 15 and canceled all programming indefinitely. However, staff continued to create digital offerings and prepare five exhibitions that open this fall, said Cate Boehm, the museum’s director of marketing and communications.

The BMA created #BMAfromHome, a landing page on its website that included digital exhibitions, art-making games and activities, and gallery talks and artist interviews.

The BMA will reopen to visitors this fall, perhaps in early October. “There is plenty of space to spread out at the BMA and safely return to the incredible cultural experiences we have to offer,” Boehm said.

Here are the new exhibitions:

• “Wall to Wall” will fill the lobby and cafe with works inspired by Birmingham and created by Alaska-based Merritt Johnson.
• “All Things Bright and Beautiful” is an exhibition of contemporary works that illustrate the importance of being seen, choosing how to be depicted and telling one’s own history. This exhibition takes its name from a painting by Amy Sherald.
• “An Epic of Earth and Water: Clare Leighton and the New England Industries Series” will highlight 12 wood engravings created by Leighton for Wedgwood and inspired by New England whaling.
• “Ways of Seeing: Buildings and Monuments” is an exhibition of 60 rarely seen objects from the BMA collection that encourage visitors to view Birmingham’s built landscape with new eyes.
• “Jacob Lawrence: The American Struggle” opens Nov. 20 and features a series of historical paintings created in the mid-1950s by Lawrence, one of the greatest narrative artists of the 20th century.

For dates of the exhibits and digital programming, go to artsbma.org.

► The Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts (AEIVA) on the UAB campus remains temporarily closed at press time due to COVID-19.

But AEIVA has gone online to remain connected to its supporters, said Lili Anderson, executive director of visual and performing arts at UAB.

For example, AEIVA partners with the department of Art and Art History to host an annual student art show, and this year the opening reception was held virtually.

In addition, AEIVA has posted gallery talks, interviews and free virtual activities with guest artists on YouTube.

AEIVA’s “A la Carte” exhibition, running through Dec. 12, explores the culinary perspective of art, offering “arts talks” with special guest artists and chefs.

For details, go to uab.edu/aeiva.

LARGE VENUES

► The Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center

The Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center at UAB was forced to cancel or reschedule many events this spring, including big-name music concerts and the ArtPlay Parlor Series.

But the ASC adapted. “When the stay-at-home order was given, we quickly pivoted,” Anderson said. “Within two weeks we began creating videos, and by the third week we began providing engaging Zoom events.”

For example, ArtPlay and the Institute for Arts in Medicine conducted a variety of summer art camps for children and teachers workshops via Zoom.

The ASC also hosted virtual meet-and-greets and performances with famed musicians.

In July, the Alys Stephens Center partnered with Alabama Ballet, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Opera Birmingham and Red Mountain Theatre Company for the free Birmingham Arts Drive-in. Performances were filmed at the ASC and shown on a big screen on the UAB campus.

To see digital content, go to alysstephens.org/arts-on-demand.

At press time, more performances for the fall were to be announced.

For more information, including details about the new Virtual Arts Pass, go to alysstephens.org/events.

► The Alabama Theatre and the Lyric Theatre

These historic venues — both owned by the nonprofit Birmingham Landmarks Inc. — have been hit hard by the pandemic, said Executive Director Brant Beene.

“We have had more than 100 events either canceled or postponed,” Beene said. “Since mid-March we have been virtually without revenue.”

And during this time, “the bills for building maintenance don’t stop,” he said. It costs the nonprofit $500,000 per year to maintain the theaters.

The organization hosted a dozen streaming events, each of which brought a few donations. They considered opening the Alabama Theatre lobby as a bar, but there’s “virtually zero bar traffic anywhere in the city,” Beene said.

So Birmingham Landmark’s mission for the fall is simple. “Fundraising, fundraising, fundraising — It is our best hope for survival,” Beene said.

Birmingham Landmarks has also launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise $500,000 for the theaters. To donate, go to bit.ly/savethealabama.

► Alabama School Of Fine Arts

One of the jewels of downtown, the Dorothy Jemison Day Theater at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, has been dark since mid-March.

“ASFA performances were canceled along with Red Mountain Theatre Company’s summer professional season and parts of Sidewalk Film Festival that would have normally been in the theater,” said Katie Roach Dudley, ASFA marketing director.

Many of ASFA’s events, including visual art shows and music recitals, were streamed online.

This fall, ASFA will continue to present classes and performances remotely. ASFA also began a new initiative called ArtWorks @ The DJD (Sept. 16-Oct. 7). The DJD Theater took applications for grants for professional artists to create original theater, music, art, writing and dance content. Up to four $1,000 grants were to be awarded, Dudley said.

For details, call 205-252-9241 or go to asfaschool.org or djdtheater.org.

MUSEUMS

► McWane Science Center

“Like our community partners and fellow nonprofits and businesses, this has been a difficult five months,” Amy Templeton, president and CEO of the McWane Science Center, said in August.

But on July 8, the facility reopened with strict safety protocols. “It’s been incredible to hear children and families learning and playing together,” Templeton said.

McWane also was named Attraction of the Year by the Alabama Tourism Department in August, she said.

“Adaptation and creative problem-solving have been key to our sustainability,” she said, noting that McWane turned to its website and social media.

For example, McWane is launching a Fall Learning Lab program providing a safe learning environment for students unable to return to traditional classrooms.

Things are still challenging financially, since revenues have been down, Tempeton said.

“We will continue to rely on donations,” she said.

For details, go to mcwane.org.