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Arts & Culture continued

consortium of the top 32 largest venues across North those were changes that originated as a response to an
America. The Center is just coming off it’s most successful immediate threat and then became part of our procedures.
season ever and had planned a thriving, off-season We learned a lot from those experiences and how to
calendar featuring folk music, international dance, the prepare for that type of eventuality, and we made that part
Broward Speaker Series and the Amaturo Theater of our on-going procedures with budgets and planning.
Children’s tours. The expanded, riverfront property was a One thing we didn’t learn from it, however, was how to
signature venue for community workshops, graduations, respond to any kind of event that would have us shut down
weddings and special events. for this long of an unknown period of time.”
“From an industry perspective, as a group who depends on “Learning how to react to a sustained situation has
touring productions, hundreds of staff members with highly highlighted not only deficiencies in capital resources for
technical skills, from different states, requiring nationwide arts organizations, but the undercapitalization of the arts
logistics of multiple venues, booked months in advance, sector as a whole”
we’ve had to accept that until there are enough cities, “We’ve got to find better ways to stabilize the arts
solidly on the other side of this we won’t be able to mount community. Some arts organizations will not be there if
block-buster shows,” Shanely explains.
there isn't support from the community and those who can
“What’s happened is that production teams have looked step in and help them get to the other side,” says Shanley.
around the country and determined that there is no reliable “It’s a really tough time for our employees and vendors,
route for them to tour any time in the near future; almost all there have been pay cuts, furloughs, cancelled budgets
have pulled themselves out of dates in 2020 and even later and timetables for any new planning. We are all suffering
into 2021. Until there are enough cities, the tours won’t as humans in isolation, caregiving, stressed. They have
come back out on the road,” predicts Shanely.
shown incredible resourcefulness and resilience; I couldn’t
We have spent a lot of time learning how to do things be more proud of them. I hope we get to the other side of
safely in this environment. There will be convergence this, it's an awesome team for doing what we’re doing for
among arts groups. For example, if we were able to the community,” says Shanley.
operate theaters again but tours were not available, we
The refurbished Parker Playhouse is small success story and
could work with art presenters or local groups like youth future venue. Previously budgeted and funded through a
and dance. We can work together to put things on our
decade long expansion program, the renovations are
stages, with a lot less volume than normal; focused on local continuing without delay. “It’s the one thing that has not
enclaves while we wait for tours to get back on the road. I
been interrupted!” says Shanley smiling. “Construction has
expect that to be happening across the country if we can continued and is on schedule and it’s beginning to take
do it – those things will come together pretty evenly and we
shape. The timing for the second phase was almost perfect,
can plan for short-term openings, based on each we were scheduled to close the building from April to
community. Any chance we have with our limited
December, so this was paid for and fully funded. Our
resources, we will try to meet the objectives.”
incredible staff, The City of Fort Lauderdale and the
“The Broward Center is better prepared than we have ever people, supporters of Broward Center should be very with
been. We’re learning a lot in this process as well. The this happy ending: on time and on budget.”
biggest surprise from managing a large arts organization Thankfully, that has made the Broward Center a more
through a pandemic is, if you look at things that have
healthy, viable venue for artists touring locally and continue
occurred in the past such as security in the last 18 years,
the legacy of local cultural success for the future.

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