CLOSING DOWN FOR 2021
As cases continue to rise, sticking to the plan and our bubbles has been more important than ever. Following the update from the government today (Monday 18th October), the Basement whānau has had to make the decision to not platform any more shows for the remainder of 2021. This was a difficult call for us to make as we were so looking forward to getting back into it with our communities! But in prioritising what’s best for everyone, we feel good about where we have landed. This means that for the rest of the year there will be no risk-share shows, no regular one-off events, and perhaps the most heartbreaking news of all…no end of year Christmas show. 💔
In coming to this decision, we have held our peoples’ wellbeing at the centre, and have taken into consideration a range of factors that align with our core values:
PRIORITIZING THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF OUR ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES
- Constant reshuffling of shows in the midst of ongoing uncertainty is wearing thin on our artists and audiences
- Rehearsing work in this climate is becoming more and more of a stressful task for artists to wrap their heads around
- Artists have enough on their plate what with that little old thing called ‘surviving’, let alone trying to put a show up in this world of unknowns
- We know that audiences are responding to Delta in a range of different ways, and some may not be ready to go to the theatre yet
PRIORITIZING THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF OUR STAFF
- Making plans and then having to constantly ‘un-produce’ them is a recipe for burnout, and we want to resist this style of working as much as possible
- Staff workload has been immense this lockdown, and we want to offset that a bit
- 2022 is going to be a big one, and we want our staff to be able to feel really good about going into it from a rested and settled place
CONSIDERING WHAT’S BEST IN THE LONG RUN FOR THE FUTURE RESILIENCE OF BASEMENT
- We have taken a huge hit from this experience, and we want to be here for many more years to come; closing for a bit will give us some time to get back on our feet for a strong 2022 and beyond.
- We want our health and safety measures for our Delta reality to be super duper spick and span so that we can continue to deliver live performance in this environment. Our industry is still developing its policies in this space, and we don’t want to rush.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR OUR PROGRAMME
- Risk-share and Co-Pro shows: All of these shows will be postponed into 2022 dates
- Christmas show: Our Christmas show will be postponed until December 2022
- Silly Season party times: All going well with alert level shifts, we are hoping to have the bar open in December with some pop-up entertainment. This is to provide our communities with an opportunity to come together and connect after a long spell of being distant from each other. So keep an eye out for this!
WHAT WE’RE DOING TO SUPPORT THE IMPACTED ARTISTS:
- All postponed risk-share shows from 2021 will receive 100% of their box office income (we normally take a 20% cut)
- All postponed risk-share shows from 2021 will have their inside ticketing charges and gear charges waived
- Co-Pro shows are protected by a model that ensures personnel are paid regardless of disruption
- Our Christmas show artists will get a payout and are guaranteed a come-back season in 2022
We are gutted that this means further time apart, but we want everyone to get through this safely and happily so we can continue to do what we all love in 2022. Remember the fastest way we can all be together again safely is by getting vaccinated - so if you need a reason, do it for your arts whānau! We are also starting to look into how vaccination status may impact how we open up again for performances. We don’t have all the answers yet - so hang tight.
Mā te wā,
Basement x