BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD/WYZZ) — The live entertainment industry was one of the last industries to start the recovery process after pandemic shutdowns.
Some Bloomington entertainment venues are still adapting. Leaders said being flexible is still very much a part of day-to-day operations.
Thom Rakestraw, Marketing Manager for the City of Bloomington’s Parks, Recreation, & Cultural Arts Department, said the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts is having a successful season, in the midst of Covid and severe weather.
He said out of 25 scheduled shows in the last year, they’ve only had to cancel or reschedule a few performances.
“Really it’s only been a handful, and that’s like a cast would have a Covid exposure in theirs, and they’ve had to reschedule a show or something like that,” said Rakestraw.
For the shows they’ve had to pivot, he said they work to reschedule with the venue.
“We are always working with them to fit them in, if we can’t fit this season, then we just put a pin in them, and then we reach out for our next season,” said Rakestraw.
He added, flexibility is important for their staff.
“We just had The Drifters here and that was a cancellation for Covid, a cancellation for weather, and we finally got them in, third time’s the charm, our patrons were really appreciative of us finally having a successful one with that one,” said Rakestraw.
Rory O’Connor, Owner & General Manager of The Castle Theatre, said they’ve only had to postpone one show due to COVID-19 this year, and announced Monday, patrons will no longer need proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test to attend shows, something the venue has required since re-opening last year.
O’Connor said navigating through the pandemic hasn’t been easy.
“You want the general public to be safe, you want your staff to be safe, of course, the artists that come in you want to be safe, and all it takes is one person in the band to get sick, and the tour is decimated,” said O’Connor.
He said with the current climate of COVID-19, they felt comfortable lifting that entry protocol. He added, he knows not everyone will agree with their decision.
“Our hope is that the general public who doesn’t really agree with, maybe the policies that we put in place, will come to realize that we were in a difficult spot, will kind of re-engage with us, we certainly welcome them back to the theatre too,” said O’Connor.
