“The path to recovery is simply too steep for our small company,” Shetler Studios, a staple of the New York City theater scene, announced today. The message from Ron Shetler and Robin A. Paterson signals another shift in the landscape of theater after the fallout of the novel coronavirus, COVID-19.
The studio, which has been operating in Manhattan’s theater district for 30 years, has hosted readings, rehearsals, workshops, showcases, and auditions for countless artists and productions. With 35 studio options, Shetler was home for many artists to work on creating performances for New York City’s entertainment economy.
“We have great pride in the facility we built and the community we nurtured,” the statement read. “Most valued of all are the relationships we enjoyed with our clients, in some cases, for many, many years.”
The studio’s closure is the latest mark of the economic toll the COVID-19 shutdowns have on the live performance industry in New York City, one of the pandemic global hotspots. Across the nation, many have been shocked by the suspension of Broadway performances, along with concerts, sporting events, and the like. However, few onlookers appreciate the interdependent economic ecosystem that extends beyond the theater’s walls.
In passing the CARES Act, Congress hoped to provide immediate relief funding to businesses to avoid such a fate of Shetler Studios. However, with the application processes for funding full of snafus and inconsistencies, some small companies have been left without funding as their budgets dry up.
On social media, actors and directors are responding to news of the studio’s closure by remembering their first time in the famed rehearsal halls, recalling a time not-so-long-ago, when actors could work in the same room.
And although, there have been signals of live performances adapting to the new normal of social distancing—such as online concerts and performances—rehearsal halls and theater venues have been rendered indefinitely irrelevant to prevent the spread of the highly contagious (and deadly) virus.
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