Fresno venues enduring pandemic, but for how long? And what’s being done to help?

Laurence Abbate tries to be optimistic about the future of the Tower Theatre, but it’s not easy.

The 81-year-old theater — and Tower District namesake — has been dark since early March, when state and local governments shut down live entertainment venues to stop the spread of the conornavirus.

It has endured the hardship so far, despite having zero income coming in and bills piling up. But Abbate isn’t sure how much longer the theater can last without help.

“It’s probably going to become something else. A church, a warehouse,” Abbate says.

#saveourstages

Entertainment venues like the Tower Theatre were the first to close as the pandemic hit and touring artist began to postpone, and eventually cancel performances across the county.

And they will be the last to reopen.

In California, businesses like Abbate’s are in Stage Four of the recovery plan. The state was moving into stage three before a surge in coronavirus cases caused Gov. Gavin Newsom to call back reopenings in many counties, including Fresno.

Of course, the national routing of most tours means venues won’t be able to operate fully until the entire country reopens all sectors, according to the National Independent Venue Association.

That won’t be until 2021 by most speculation.

By then it will be too late for most venues. According to a survey of its members, the association says 90% of independent venues report they will close permanently in a few months without federal funding. Even iconic venues like the Troubadour in Los Angeles have taken to GoFundMe to stave off permanent closure.

“One thing has become painfully clear: keeping independent venues alive requires the government’s help,” according to the NIVA website.

The group is lobbying for industry specific Paycheck Protection Program loans, similar to what was offered for the restaurant industry. It is also asking for continued unemployment benefits and temporary tax credits to offset the cost of ticket refunds, rent and mortgage and employee safety and retention.

It has also created the hashtag #saveourstages to help raise awareness.

Business was booming

In a sad twist, the Tower Theatre was coming off a great 2019 and expecting to have an even bigger 2020 before the pandemic hit.

“It was off the hook,” Abbate says.

“It just couldn’t get any busier.”

The theater had a packed calendar and had booked a full opera season. There were even tentative plans to expand the building around the theater to two floors, making way for loft units that could be rented out by those in town for shows.

“All of that is just gone,” he says.

It was a similar situation at Fulton 55, which had just celebrated its ninth anniversary and had several good years in which it pocketed away some money to make improvement on the venue for its 10th year in business.

“We had a nest egg,” says Tony Martin, who manages the downtown music club.

The pandemic just pushed the timeline, some.

“We thought: If we’re going to be closed, let’s go ahead on these renovations and updates,” he says.

The venue recently hired Fresno painter Josh Wigger to do a mural across the entire length of the building. The downstairs’ bar got updated, along with other upgrades inside the building.

Next steps for reopening

Even when the venues are allowed to reopen, it will likely be with restrictions set on capacity. Abbate expects rules similar to church regulations, which allow for 25% capacity, or 100 people, whichever is fewer.

That’s a losing proposition, he says. Adjusting that 100-person attendance cap would allow the theater to survive at least the year. The theater could operate its 761 seats at 25% capacity and break even on most shows, or with small losses, he says.

All that means entertainment venues are being forced to experiment with their business models.

The Tower Theatre is looking at the possibility of hosting outdoor drive-in style concerts in its back parking lot. That could happen as early as September, Abbate says. They are in talks with the rock band LA Guns, which was scheduled to play the theater in June.

The show would cost $125 a car and operate much like a drive-in theater.

Fulton 55 hosted a series of audience-free live stream performances. They were mostly to give local bands an opportunity to make some tips — and a few made a decent amount. Ultimately, the effort was overwhelming for the one-man staff.

The venue also looked into reopening without entertainment, using the guidelines in place for bars, but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth the risk to the employees or patrons.

“We decided. It’s just not safe enough,” Martin said.

“We don’t want to be a part of the problem.”

Regardless of when and how the venues are allowed to reopen, it to be a slow transition back to work, Martin says. It will take time — and possibly a vaccine — before people feel totally safe going out to see live entertainment.

“We’ll start off slow and build it back,” he said.

The current situation seems bleak, but Martin is optimistic about the future on the other end of the pandemic for those venues that make it.

“When we get back to whatever the new normal is, things will be a little better.”

This story was originally published July 11, 2020 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Fresno venues enduring pandemic, but for how long? And what’s being done to help?."