Asolo Rep: Standing Strong in the Face of Adversity

By Ryan G. Van Cleave
September 1, 2020

As COVID-19 caused most of the world to shut its doors this summer, I especially worried about its impact on the arts. With Sarasota being renowned for its robust art and culture scene, what would happen to this vital part of our community’s DNA? More to the point, after so many years of covering local issues for Sarasota Scene, I know that, taken together, the arts community is a major economic driver, being the third largest employer in Sarasota. What did all this mean for them? For us?

So, I spoke with Asolo Rep Producing Artistic Director Michael Donald Edwards and Managing Director Linda DiGabriele about this very topic, as well as the upcoming season and the future of their organization. Edwards said, “We’re in a strange position. Theaters were among the first to close when COVID hit, and we’re likely to be among the last to open when people are willing to come back. But we have to be ready for when that eventuality happens.” 

Like all of the arts leaders, he knows that people aren’t returning to live events until they feel safe. But equally important, Asolo Rep doesn’t want to open until they feel it’s safe and appropriate for their people, too. “We have to work with four different unions,” he explains, “and in our contracts with them, we have to guarantee safe working conditions. We can’t just decide, ‘Hey, we’re going to do it!’ and throw open the doors. We have to be deliberate and careful in how we proceed.” 

In terms of what this means for the already announced full mainstage season? Some of it will be postponed. Not cancelled, though, which is a key distinction. “For Billy Elliot, we’re keeping the whole team and production together for a fall 2021 show,” Edwards says. They’re also not doing Kevin Ludwig’s The Three Musketeers in January. Even if the pandemic fizzles out by November the way everyone hopes, it’s simply unrealistic to assemble artists from New York, Chicago, and elsewhere to work with local artists to begin rehearsing and get everything else together in time for an early 2021 date.

There’s hope, though, that March 2021 might see Asolo Rep offering the classic Thornton Wilder play Our Town and/or the new comedy, Grand Horizons. Plus, there are the world premieres of two musicals, Knoxville and Hood which are currently scheduled for May and June respectively. 

“We’ve got a certain degree of flexibility with those,” reports Edwards. “We’re planning for the possibility of doing all four, or just one, or any combination of them, depending on the situation. If we ultimately can’t do any, we’ll be postponing those with the intention of being fully operational again by fall 2021. We’re simply working with a combination of realism and optimism. We know there’s an end to the pandemic—it’s simply a matter of when, and how soon we can ramp up our productions once that happens.”

DiGabriele adds that they’re providing numerous options for subscribers. “We were pleasantly surprised at how so many wonderful, loyal people went ahead and subscribed for the 20-21 season even well after COVID arrived.” They’ll credit those subscriptions or find other ways to ensure people won’t lose any money and are able to come back when it’s appropriate to do so.

In the meantime, however, Asolo Rep folks aren’t sitting around and waiting. They’ve strongly pivoted to increase and improve their online presence. “We’re now thinking of ourselves as producers of online content in a way we’ve never been before,” says Edwards. “We’re going to stay connected to our audience, if not through the traditional way of putting on shows and talking to people, then by reaching out through online platforms.”

To that end, they’re repurposing archival material and making new selections available weekly via their Monday Musical Moments (I heartily recommend Evita’s “Buenos Aires!). And there’s Engage on Air, where performers, directors, and others involved in Asolo Rep shows talk about their experiences in an interesting behind-the-scenes manner.

Asolo Rep is also continuing its robust education program. “That’s an area we’re really developing,” notes DiGabriele. “We’re adding adult classes, and special classes for homeschooled children. We’re also able to stream archival footage of past productions into classrooms—the unions have allowed that for years.” Essentially, many of the educational things they’ve done in the past—like bringing short adaptations of Shakespeare classics in-person to schools—will move online for now. And since online delivery can greatly expand one’s audience, they’re now looking at a post-COVID situation where they use both in-person and online options to reach more students than ever before, in whatever manner works best.

If there’s a plus to all this for Asolo Rep, this might be it—it’s forcing them to rethink the ways they engage with people. While their Monday Musical Moments are quite compelling, those videos were created purely for archival purposes. Moving forward, the theater now plans to create high-level videos suitable to share online. Looking back at what they’ve been doing since March, you can already see the improvement of their clips and interviews by leaps and bounds, but they hope to acquire better equipment to ensure the sound and video quality is what audiences have come to expect from top-level arts organizations.

They’re also looking into offering performances in nontraditional venues, such as Ed Smith Stadium, the Sarasota Kennel Club, and other outdoor spaces. Some other communities have done similar things at drive-in theaters, though thanks to the heat of Florida, people here would likely leave their cars running, making things a bit noisy and probably stinky, too. But Asolo Rep continues to seek options so the show can go on—at least until they can get back on their own stage.

“We’d really like to thank the community for its generosity,” DiGabriele says. “Since March, people have come forward—both individuals and foundations—with extra gifts and donations. It’s an amazing amount of goodwill and generosity. The reality, though, is that all arts organizations are looking at some heavy lifting in the coming year without ticket sales.” Why? Because ticket sales generally provide about half of what it takes to support these institutions. If the doors stay closed, they’ve essentially only got half of their needed budget. It leaves a giant fiscal hole that can’t be ignored.

Like other arts organizations, Asolo Rep will be running a sustainability campaign in the fall to maintain their educational programming, develop new plays and musicals, and purchase necessary equipment to improve their online offerings. Edwards explains that Sarasota has one of the highest concentrations of people who make their living in the arts. “It’s pretty impressive, since we’re talking about the likes of New York, San Francisco, Houston, and Dallas,” he says. “We’re right there with them. And at the moment, they all have no income. They’re on unemployment or working to find new and creative ways to survive. Their wellbeing is as necessary to the vitality of our community as any business here.”

In terms of what people can do to help, Edwards suggests that “it’d be great if people started really consuming the material we have out there. We have a lot online now, and more to come. I’d LOVE to know that the people of Sarasota have listened to every interview, watched every Monday Musical Moment, and then told us what we’re doing that’s great, and offered suggestions on what else we can do or what we can do better. We’re partners in this, and we welcome the dialogue and engagement.” 

Online sharing is an effective way to help them get the word out, he reminds us. About this, Edwards adds in his typical bring-the-excitement fashion, “You’re a community member. You helped produce these shows by buying tickets. Now tell the world about it. We’re going to really come roaring back. Everyone in Sarasota should be really proud of where we are!”

For more information on Asolo Rep’s season, online content and education offerings, please visit asolorep.org.