Live entertainment has taken a huge hit during the pandemic, and some places have to get a little creative to make sure the seats are still there when it's time to open the doors again.
At the State Theater, you'll find silence and empty seats. It's been that way for months. The not-for-profit has been entertaining the community for more than 90 years, and they're still discovering new gems.
"One of the kids was like, 'Woah how many gargoyles do you have?' and I was like, 'What? What are you talking about, we don't have any gargoyles.' And it's like clear as day now, but there's a gargoyle right there it's so clear as day now that I see it," said Doug Levine, executive director at the State Theater of Ithaca. "I just feel bad that everyone else is missing out you know? It’s such a beautiful space."
The pandemic has forced the theater to cancel 50 live events and has created a $160,000 budget gap.
"So we're looking around this beautiful building and we have 1,600 seats in the theater. We have 900 seats downstairs, and 700 up in the balcony," said Levine.
So even though there aren't live shows happening right now, you can save your seat for when things happen again in person. For $100 a seat, customers are closing that gap and they're writing some interesting things on the seats.
"One person did a plaque in memory of his hearing that he lost at a Dinosaur Junior show in 2017. I like that plaque, that was pretty cool," said Levine. "I have couples that told me they went on their first date here at the State Theater, and they made out, too, a little I guess, so actually someone is commemorating that on their seat plaque, like 'We made out in this seat.’"
The national Save Our Stages Act could go a long way to help small arts venues, but it has not yet passed the House or the Senate. In the meantime, everyone's staying afloat during intermission, waiting for Act II.
