Snow's impact on the arts will be felt for a long time
I meant to alert my faithful, dearly treasured blog readers to my Tuesday column, which addressed the snow's unwelcome punch to the local performing arts world, but I've been ever so distracted by that damn snow.
Anyway, that column came out before the latest blast from the sky, which has already claimed Wednesday's schedule at Everyman Theatre. That company's production of "Two Rooms" has been very hard-hit in terms of cancelled shows. And it's cutting deeply into the bottom line, since you can't really make up for things like that.
If you manage to find seats at subsequent performances for patrons left out in the snow,
it only means you've cut off the possibility to earn revenue from those unsold seats. And since it's impossible to extend the run of the play (availability of actors, preparations for the next production, etc.), you can't add inventory. It's a loss all the way around.
Same for (I almost wrote "ditto" -- but that's nearly as archaic as a fax) the Baltimore Symphony, which had to call off much-anticipated concerts last weekend, or anyone else who had to cancel ticketed events. And remember, all of the arts have already been limping from the recession. When all is said and melted, many organizations are going to be struggling with the toll from the disrupted season.
This is without question the worst winter of our discontent.
