November…
As it was to be expected we’re now entering the real storm (something that was easy to predict as I had written in one of my posts). However, despite the stream of bad news we are receiving daily I’m more than optimistic about the future.
Yes, we will have to do double Cape Horn and it will be a tough journey but I think we’re heading towards a resolution of this pandemic one way or the other. In the worst case scenario nature will run its due course. I know it’s not a pretty picture to digest but there is no meaning ruminating about things you cannot control.
What worries more to tell you the truth are the upcoming US elections as Covid has worked as an accelerator of major geopolitical shifts. That’s outside of the scope of this blog, so in case you’re interested you can read an excellent article by Niall Ferguson on this.
I’ve digressed for a second on this because it one of the sources of inspiration of a new play I intend to write for the upcoming year.
Speaking of which… THEATRE.
Incredibly enough we had quite a long spell of tranquility since July.
I’ve used this time to work on several projects, three of which related to film. At the same time, we continued to perform live shows up until the 14th of October.
As we now approach the freezy winter of Cape Horn it’s time to take a pause once again. Yet, I’m utterly convinced that’s what it is. Just a pause (however long it may be).
This summer has demonstrated a couple of things.
Firstly, the fact that, once taken the due precautions, theatre is very safe. I do not know what if there are any statistics for the UK but the data collected here in Italy show that from June to October there was only one case of Covid that could be traced back to theatre attendance among 350,000 spectators of live performances. (link to the source)
Secondly, people do come to see shows… theatre is not dead, at all.
What certainly has changed is instead the mobility of the audience, and that is something that may last for years (if we are speaking about international festivals for instance). The best forecasts for the airline industry, for instance, see a return of passengers to pre-covid levels at the end of 2022.
On top of that, large audiences will be, for the time being and probably for a couple of years, a thing of the past.
This new reality brings with itself a major shift in thinking if you are a theatre producer or festival organizer, and I happen to be both.
I could dwell on this for hours but I’d rather keep it short (and save it for some other posts).
Meanwhile, because overnight success usually takes countless sleepless nights of extremely hard work I’m retreating in my den trying to concentrate on the zillions of things I have to do in this period of forced-retirement from the stage. I have developed so many future projects that I can hardly keep up now. In a way it is good but on the other hand it is also very time consuming (and it brings with it a bit of stress).
The future is set by what we do in the present.
Even when in a lockdown.
So much to do…so little time.
PS. Do not count on a vaccine anytime soon. That simply ain’t going to happen.
