Photo credit: Mark Frohna
Local theater buffs were eagerly awaiting the chance to see Skylight Music Theatre’s take on Little Shop of Horrors, the legendary musical by Howard Ashman. The musical, originally supposed to run from Friday, Nov. 13, until Sunday, Dec. 27, had to be postponed due to the current surge of coronavirus cases in Wisconsin, Skylight announced.
Photo credit: Lila Aryan
Skylight Music Theatre Executive Director Jack Lemmon
“Due to increased COVID-19 infection rates, it became necessary to postpone,” says Jack Lemmon, the company’s executive director. “We were prepared to open Little Shop of Horrors at 50% capacity with numerous safety protocols in place. We invested more than $20,000 to upgrade and make our spaces safer, including plexiglass dividers, electrostatic disinfectant cleaning and touchless ticketing. We also implemented strict mask and social distance requirements and other health and safety measures. We were also preparing for the possibility of opening at 25% capacity and possibly still covering our costs. However, when the City of Milwaukee placed a limit of only 10 people indoors, it became impossible for us.”
At a time when new coronavirus infections are climbing at a breakneck pace, one can commend the safety measures put in place, although many of us lament the lack of in-person performances. COVID already claimed more than 2,000 lives in Wisconsin alone and 231,000 nationwide. Without a significant increase in testing, Wisconsin saw its seven-day average shoot up in the last few weeks, from 8.9% on Sept. 1 to 29.5% on Oct. 31.
Skylight hopes to be able to perform Little Shop of Horrors in 2021, but there is no way to know for sure what will be possible. Until then, Skylight announced it is exploring virtual options to continue creating art despite the restrictions. Skylight already dipped its toes into the realm of virtual performances: They successfully launched Being Earnest, a 1960s twist on Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, accessible online and in the safety of one’s home. However, despite the show’s success, “the economic model for virtual programming is not enough to keep us afloat,” Lemmon deplores.
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Lemon asks the city’s Health Department to consider setting different capacity limits based on each venue’s plan. “Bars and restaurants are already allowed to do this, and as a result some bars and restaurants can operate at increased capacities. However, this was not offered to theaters, concert venues, museums or other cultural groups,” he adds.
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To read more articles by Jean-Gabriel Fernandez, click here.
