Linda Falkenstein
Music-Barrymore-marquee-5-2-2020
As Congress debates how to target aid for struggling Americans, our local venues are in peril. Isthmus received a media release from the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) pleading with media outlets to alert readers to two critical pieces of legislation that could mean life or death for the independent venues: The Save Our Stages Act and the RESTART Act.
“These venues will remain closed well into 2021 due to safety concerns posed by large gatherings,” the release reads. “These institutions draw most of their revenue from acts that tour the United States, and until it’s safe to do so en masse, it won’t be possible for venues to bring back their staff. Ninety percent of the 2,400 national members of NIVA have stated that they will be forced to close their doors if the shutdown lasts 6 months or more and they do not get meaningful support from Congress.”
Area NIVA members include the Barrymore Theatre, Cafe CODA, Liquid and Ruby, North Street Cabaret, Overture Center for the Arts, and the Shitty Barn.
Bill Brehm, director of the Stoughton Opera House, tells Isthmus that it’s essential for people to contact their representatives to support the two bills.
“Venues have already put it all on the table. The savings have all been tapped and are pouring out the door,” Brehm writes in an email. “There won't be a second chance to do something about it. If we have to wait for everyone to understand it will already be too late. All I can do is urge those with the power to send financial assistance to listen to concert industry professionals when we say the situation is critical.”
Brehm echoes NIVA’s point about venues’ place in local communities. “The ecosystem of music venues extends so much further than is generally understood and people don't see how much it affects them personally,” he says. “The thing is, once the venues are gone they aren't coming back. It's like trying to make someone understand why the ocean reefs dying is a bad thing for their tuna fish salad sandwich.”
