From the Executive Director- Julie Garnsey
What a year 2020 has been! I missed seeing everyone happily attending performances in the Opera House. We started the New Year with 23 TIPAF scheduled performances. We were able to have one performance in February for Valentines Day. Unfortunately, with just one day’s notice in March, the performing arts were shut down and our staff went to working at home. We were fortunate to qualify for the Paycheck Protection Program and were able to keep the staff on payroll while we were at home contacting Patrons, agents and artists as we worked our way through this unexpected change in direction.
As we navigated through this uncharted territory, we continued to hope for the opportunity to have some performances this season. As the summer approached, it became more obvious that we were going to be drastically limited in our seating capacity or unable to have performances at all in 2020. On June 1, 2020, we found it necessary to furlough the staff through the summer and early fall. Jeff, Christopher and Dan graciously accepted this without any questions and understood that this was the fiscally responsible thing to do for the organization.
During June, our Development Committee along with some previous TIPAF Board Members reached out to our Patrons who had not renewed for the season. We reminded them that their support was more important than ever this year without our ticket sale revenues from performances. You, our Patrons, generously continued and in some cases raised your contribution amounts and we truly appreciate the confidence and ongoing support you have shown during this difficult time in our history. The importance of the arts in our lives is more evident than ever and we cannot wait to welcome you back into the Opera House for live performances. I am truly grateful and humbled by the dedication to our organization that you have shown this year.
We have been diligently working to reinstate the 2020 season for 2021. The majority of our performers were able to reschedule for our 2021 season and we are excited to announce that we have 17 confirmed performances for 2021. I am still attempting to reschedule three performers and am hoping to add a few more performances as we see what 2021 will look like for the performing arts. The staff will be working on cleaning, painting and organizing throughout the winter in anticipation of your return. We have purchased a handheld sanitizing unit that is accepted by the NYS DOH and the CDC for disinfecting spaces between performances or gatherings as just one of many additional measures to keep you safe.
The good news is that we will be slowly opening the doors to small events throughout the winter. On October 23 Governor Cuomo announced that movie theaters in “safe” areas could open at 25% capacity with a total of 50 guests. We will be announcing scheduled movies as soon as our HVAC unit has been cleared for filtration requirements.
I would be remiss if I did not thank the Town of Clayton Supervisor and entire Town Board for their support during these challenging times. We have worked closely with the town to offer them assistance and to ascertain when we can safely open our doors for small events. The Town Board has been gracious and open to our suggestions for reopening our performance hall and ballroom.
We hope that you were able to enjoy some of our exciting virtual shows. In October, we featured “GO NOW!, the music of the Moody Blues” live streaming from the Harlequin Theatre in London. With each ticket purchased through the Clayton Opera House website, we received a portion of the proceeds. This concert has been made available for purchase and viewing until October 2021 and the Clayton Opera House will continue to receive up to 50% of ticket proceeds. On December 5, 2020 at 8 pm, A Celtic Christmas featuring Michael Londra will be live streaming from Ireland. When you purchase a ticket to this performance, the Clayton Opera House will receive 40% of the proceeds. We will continue to look for additional opportunities for your entertainment until we can open our doors again to live performances.
Finally, I would like to give you a staff update. We welcomed back Jeff and Dan to the Opera House on October 19. Unfortunately, Christopher resigned his position in August. As the shutdown wore on, Christopher and his wife made the decision that it was best for them to return to school to obtain their Masters Degrees in Arts Education. Chris and his wife are talented artists and we wish them well. He will be missed.
We conducted a search in early October for a Marketing Specialist and I am happy to say that we have hired Michaela Frederick for the position starting November 16. Michaela comes to us from ABC 50 where she has been an Account Executive for the past 7 years. We are excited that she will be bringing her energy and talent to the Opera House and look forward to her joining our team.
I cannot say thank you enough for all your support. Stay safe, stay strong and we look forward to seeing all of you back at the Opera House in 2021!
As we navigated through this uncharted territory, we continued to hope for the opportunity to have some performances this season. As the summer approached, it became more obvious that we were going to be drastically limited in our seating capacity or unable to have performances at all in 2020. On June 1, 2020, we found it necessary to furlough the staff through the summer and early fall. Jeff, Christopher and Dan graciously accepted this without any questions and understood that this was the fiscally responsible thing to do for the organization.
During June, our Development Committee along with some previous TIPAF Board Members reached out to our Patrons who had not renewed for the season. We reminded them that their support was more important than ever this year without our ticket sale revenues from performances. You, our Patrons, generously continued and in some cases raised your contribution amounts and we truly appreciate the confidence and ongoing support you have shown during this difficult time in our history. The importance of the arts in our lives is more evident than ever and we cannot wait to welcome you back into the Opera House for live performances. I am truly grateful and humbled by the dedication to our organization that you have shown this year.
We have been diligently working to reinstate the 2020 season for 2021. The majority of our performers were able to reschedule for our 2021 season and we are excited to announce that we have 17 confirmed performances for 2021. I am still attempting to reschedule three performers and am hoping to add a few more performances as we see what 2021 will look like for the performing arts. The staff will be working on cleaning, painting and organizing throughout the winter in anticipation of your return. We have purchased a handheld sanitizing unit that is accepted by the NYS DOH and the CDC for disinfecting spaces between performances or gatherings as just one of many additional measures to keep you safe.
The good news is that we will be slowly opening the doors to small events throughout the winter. On October 23 Governor Cuomo announced that movie theaters in “safe” areas could open at 25% capacity with a total of 50 guests. We will be announcing scheduled movies as soon as our HVAC unit has been cleared for filtration requirements.
I would be remiss if I did not thank the Town of Clayton Supervisor and entire Town Board for their support during these challenging times. We have worked closely with the town to offer them assistance and to ascertain when we can safely open our doors for small events. The Town Board has been gracious and open to our suggestions for reopening our performance hall and ballroom.
We hope that you were able to enjoy some of our exciting virtual shows. In October, we featured “GO NOW!, the music of the Moody Blues” live streaming from the Harlequin Theatre in London. With each ticket purchased through the Clayton Opera House website, we received a portion of the proceeds. This concert has been made available for purchase and viewing until October 2021 and the Clayton Opera House will continue to receive up to 50% of ticket proceeds. On December 5, 2020 at 8 pm, A Celtic Christmas featuring Michael Londra will be live streaming from Ireland. When you purchase a ticket to this performance, the Clayton Opera House will receive 40% of the proceeds. We will continue to look for additional opportunities for your entertainment until we can open our doors again to live performances.
Finally, I would like to give you a staff update. We welcomed back Jeff and Dan to the Opera House on October 19. Unfortunately, Christopher resigned his position in August. As the shutdown wore on, Christopher and his wife made the decision that it was best for them to return to school to obtain their Masters Degrees in Arts Education. Chris and his wife are talented artists and we wish them well. He will be missed.
We conducted a search in early October for a Marketing Specialist and I am happy to say that we have hired Michaela Frederick for the position starting November 16. Michaela comes to us from ABC 50 where she has been an Account Executive for the past 7 years. We are excited that she will be bringing her energy and talent to the Opera House and look forward to her joining our team.
I cannot say thank you enough for all your support. Stay safe, stay strong and we look forward to seeing all of you back at the Opera House in 2021!