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Arts & Culture continued

consortium of the top 32 largest venues across North those were changes that originated as a response to an
America. The Center is just coming off it’s most successful immediate threat and then became part of our procedures.
season ever and had planned a thriving, off-season We learned a lot from those experiences and how to
calendar featuring folk music, international dance, the prepare for that type of eventuality, and we made that
Broward Speaker Series and the Amaturo Theater part of our on-going procedures with budgets and
Children’s tours. The expanded, riverfront property was a planning. One thing we didn’t learn from it, however, was
signature venue for community workshops, graduations, how to respond to any kind of event that would have us
weddings and special events. shut down for this long of an unknown period of time.”

“From an industry perspective, as a group who depends “Learning how to react to a sustained situation has
on touring productions, hundreds of staff members with highlighted not only deficiencies in capital resources for
highly technical skills, from different states, requiring arts organizations, but the undercapitalization of the arts
nationwide logistics of multiple venues, booked months in sector as a whole”
advance, we’ve had to accept that until there are enough “We’ve got to find better ways to stabilize the arts
cities, solidly on the other side of this we won’t be able to community. Some arts organizations will not be there if
mount block-buster shows,” Shanely explains.
there isn't support from the community and those who can
“What’s happened is that production teams have looked step in and help them get to the other side,” says Shanley.
around the country and determined that there is no reliable “It’s a really tough time for our employees and vendors,
route for them to tour any time in the near future; almost there have been pay cuts, furloughs, cancelled budgets
all have pulled themselves out of dates in 2020 and even and timetables for any new planning. We are all suffering
later into 2021. Until there are enough cities, the tours as humans in isolation, caregiving, stressed. They have
won’t come back out on the road,” predicts Shanely.
shown incredible resourcefulness and resilience; I couldn’t
We have spent a lot of time learning how to do things be more proud of them. I hope we get to the other side of
safely in this environment. There will be convergence this, it's an awesome team for doing what we’re doing for
among arts groups. For example, if we were able to the community,” says Shanley.
operate theaters again but tours were not available, we
The refurbished Parker Playhouse is small success story
could work with art presenters or local groups like youth and future venue. Previously budgeted and funded through
and dance. We can work together to put things on our
a decade long expansion program, the renovations are
stages, with a lot less volume than normal; focused on continuing without delay. “It’s the one thing that has not
local enclaves while we wait for tours to get back on the
been interrupted!” says Shanley smiling. “Construction has
road. I expect that to be happening across the country if continued and is on schedule and it’s beginning to take
we can do it – those things will come together pretty
shape. The timing for the second phase was almost
evenly and we can plan for short-term openings, based on perfect, we were scheduled to close the building from
each community. Any chance we have with our limited
April to December, so this was paid for and fully funded.
resources, we will try to meet the objectives.”
Our incredible staff, The City of Fort Lauderdale and the
“The Broward Center is better prepared than we have ever people, supporters of Broward Center should be very with
been. We’re learning a lot in this process as well. The this happy ending: on time and on budget.”
biggest surprise from managing a large arts organization Thankfully, that has made the Broward Center a more
through a pandemic is, if you look at things that have
healthy, viable venue for artists touring locally and continue
occurred in the past such as security in the last 18 years,
the legacy of local cultural success for the future. RV

20 rio vista civic association • www.riovistaonline.com