Recently, several articles appeared about the phenomenon of “Hygiene Theater”—the focus on largely ineffective COVID-19 safety measures like Clorox wipes and plexiglass dividers designed to give people a false sense of security indoors. Some in the theater industry are rapidly signing up for this new brand of drama, such as Broadway announcing that it will reopen at 100 percent capacity in September, eager to trade profits for the safety of its patrons and casts.
Ehre paints a picture: “We’ve reimagined the space so that it’s like a gallery installation in various rooms, and that audiences of 15 people at a time are going to be led through. Like in the first room there’s a ten-minute video installation, then they are going to be led outdoors into the loading dock area where there will be a garage door open with lots of ventilation, and there’ll be another art installation happening that’s not live, and they’re going to move into another space where there’s one indoor three-person performance that’s happening . . . and then there’s a solo dance piece, and a solo theater piece . . . None of them are longer than 15 minutes, and the audience moves through almost like they are walking through a museum.”
COVID has delivered some unexpectedly positive changes. Ehre excitedly shares, “We have something we call a Live Talk Show which has—pun unintended or intended—pivoted into a podcast.” The podcast has helped drive an unprecedented amount of traffic to their website—some of it from international locales. “Last year we had 3,000 people visit our website during the festival month,” Ehre notes. “We don’t even have space for 3,000 people normally during the ten-day festival.” COVID has also spurred Pivot to offer original video programs online this year. “It’s really pushed performing arts organizations to have digital work online, so we do want to continue that because we feel that increases access to people who physically can’t get to our events for disability or geographic reasons.”
5/21-6/6: see pivotarts.org for complete schedule and information; “Utopian Performance Tour” $30, $15 students under 24.
