COVID-19 Update: Big Shocks, Strong Responses, and The Industry Soldiers On

The impact of the coronavirus continues to be felt globally and the entertainment industry continues to feel one shockwave after another. The Metropolitan Opera has cancelled its season, and Carnegie Hall has extended its shutdown to May 10. The Vegas Strip is shut down for at least a couple of weeks. And the website Deadline.com is reporting that Cirque du Soleil is laying off 95% of its employees. In Canada, the Shaw Festival has cancelled all public events until April 30, and the Stratford Festival is now shuttered through May. In the UK, West End theatres are closed, and the Glastonbury Festival has been cancelled. In a continent-wide development, the Eurovision Song Contest will not happen this year. Here's fast update of stories you might have missed.

In the latest development: NAB has announced that it is not rescheduling its 2020 show: bit.ly/3a8VJmT

Various companies, associations, and political figures have jumped into the fray, seeking positive change:

TLS has spread awareness of a petition on www.Change.org, asking for a Federal aid package for the events industry. You can sign it at bit.ly/2WxU9a2. (The company is also cancelling its CM Hoist training session, scheduled for the end of the month. New dates will be announced.)

The Recording Academy and its affiliated charitable foundation MusiCares have established the COVID-19 Relief Fund to help people in the music industry affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak and subsequent cancellation of multiple music events. To establish the fund, both the Recording Academy and MusiCares have contributed an initial donation of $1 million each, totaling $2 million. Additionally, all Recording Academy Chapters have committed to fundraising in their local communities. Further updates and announcements will be made in the coming days. To contribute to the fund, go to bit.ly/2U831Bu. If you are a member of the music industry in need of assistance, visit: www.grammy.com/musiccares

The Nevada Congressional delegation has urged Congress to provide relief to the state's tourism industry: bit.ly/2UnBBql.

Variety is reporting that as many as 120,000 crew jobs across all markets have been lost, thanks to the coronavirus: bit.ly/2JfujA1.

Congressman Adam Schiff is staking out a lead position on getting government help for entertainment workers: bit.ly/2J1Q3iH.

Nearly 40 members of Congress have written letters to Nancy Pelosi and Kevin McCarthy urging inclusion of theatre and other entertainment workers in any relief packages: bit.ly/33AKocL.

If ever there was a good time to donate to the industry charity Behind the Scenes, it's now: wp.behindthescenescharity.org/

Lightwright is making available a special emergency license for students: bit.ly/2UmNTzo.

Companies from around the world have checked in, offering updates on their status:

Artistic Licence reports: "As a small company, Artistic Licence is keen to reassure all our customers that we are open for business as usual. Our sales and production departments are operating normally, and we have good levels of stock available for immediate delivery. As a precaution, the decision has been made that staff who can work from home will do so from today onwards, until further notice. Email and telephone details will remain the same and all staff can be contacted as normal."

Christie Lites laid off 200 staff members around the world. CEO Huntly Christie, noting that the decision had been made with great regret and no small amount of pain, said, about his decision to speak out. "In my opinion we have some leaders and politicians failing to use pragmatism and science to guide their communication and decision making and I did not want to watch 200 Christie Lites' staff lose their jobs quietly and without a voice...I would like to reassure everyone that we are extremely stable and rest assured that Christie Lites will be here for our clients when they begin to return. Christie Lites has positioned itself to be able to endure a very long dry spell. I have no idea how long the work disruption will last, but we are taking a worst-case scenario approach, and have structured our business to continue to operate (at the same Christie standard) for the balance of the year under the present situation. These measures mean Christie Lites can look forward to being able to re-hire staff we laid off once we get out the other side of the effects this virus has had on our industry."

DWB Live, in Nashville, has announced, "We remain operational. Our offices and phone lines are open, and we are available to discuss new business opportunities, support rental needs, and help with any design and consultation as we prepare to get back to work at the end of this period. We also have event space and technical support available for public use and streaming capabilities."

Danley Sound Labs: "At Danley, our priority has always been to create and supply the most unique loudspeakers coupled with dedicated and honest customer support and service," said Jeff Pulliam, general manager. "We have now implemented measures to ensure the health and welfare of all our employees. However, as Danley builds its products in low-density production facilities in Georgia and North Carolina, we have the capability of providing many of our products during this unprecedented time. Our OS, GO2, and Nano lines are readily available. Wooden products will take a little longer. As many members of our team, including our engineers are working from home, there may be little delay in returning messages. Email is a sure bet, as everyone at Danley remains connected at home and at the production facilities. Like everyone, we are dearly looking forward to returning to normal!"

Drape Kings says, "Our customer service specialists in the NY Metro, DC Metro, and Chicago areas are working with our customers on changes and the virtual event planning that is now occurring. We are currently open during normal business hours and will continue our after-hours emergency line support while striving to keep our employees and their families safe. We will inform you of any changes to our plans as there are still many unknowns."

EM Acoustics notes that very few of its components are made in China, limiting the company's exposure to supply-chain issues. It adds, "We do have considerable reserves stocks of components that will allow us to complete current production schedules without disruption."

Fisher Dachs staffers are working at home but are reachable but phone, email, and conferencing.

iWeiss remains open, having taken steps to protect the health of its staff. "Our staff is at work, ready to accept your quotes and orders. We have inventory in place to manufacture your orders and we are shipping products as requested."

L-Acoustics, based in France, has decided to suspend on-site operations there and in Wenden, Germany; London; and Singapore. The company adds that it "is in a solid financial position and, for the foreseeable future, will maintain our entire workforce's full employment and salaries."

Martin Audio reports that is Chinese suppliers are returning "to some sort of normality" and regular shipments are on track. "As a consequence, we have good stocks in our European and US hubs of ADORN on-wall loudspeakers, BlacklineX, BlacklineX Powered, and our existing ceiling range. That being said, we have seen a recent spike in demand, with Blackline X8 in particular coming under supply pressure." In terms of new products: "The China only S. Series is now shipping from April. The new Blackline X218 subwoofer will be available from European and US hubs from May. The new Blackline XH15 (Asia only) will ship from China in May. The new ADORN ceiling speakers will ship from US and European hubs from June with the ADORN pendant a month later."

Bill Sapsis reports that the NATEAC Conference, scheduled for late July, is still on, with a final decision to come in mid-April: www.lightingandsoundamerica.com/news/story.asp?ID=TRUW2H

RC4 Wireless staffers are working at home. However, the company says, "If you need RC4 technical support, please use our online ticket system at rc4.freshdesk.com/support/tickets/new, or send email to support@rc4wireless.com."

RCF reports, "We are working to continue producing regularly and meet our orders and project requirements. However, some delays might be expected, due to the difficulties in the logistics and transports as the situation evolves in different areas. We have suspended all RCF in-house trainings and travels for all employees at this time. We have also suspended customers and supplier visits to RCF premises as well as gatherings." Office personnel are working remotely and are reachable by phone.

TAF USA reports that it is limiting the number of walk-in customers. However, the company continues to welcome quotes and orders via phone or email.

TMB says, "We are planning to be here for you throughout the pandemic, continuing with appropriately scaled services and operations from our LA and London locations, while still providing the fastest possible response. We are here for you! As such, TMB is making all recommended and necessary modifications to operations while still actively processing quotes and shipping orders. TMB will continue to offer technical support, innovative technology, a global presence, and as always, people for whom entertainment production and architectural lighting are more than just a job. We are planning on getting back to normal as soon as we safely can."

Times Square Lighting says, "Currently, we plan to remain open to the best of our ability. Our sales team is working remotely and is equipped to take any inquiries via email and phone. Thankfully, the advent of new business technologies has enabled us to continue operations with minimal disruptions."

Vectorworks' Design Summit has been cancelled. The company announced, "Vectorworks will automatically refund full registration fees to the original form of payment and no action is needed on your part."

Vincent Lighting reports that its staff is busy doing maintenance on facilities and equipment and providing training for its employees. "Our goal is to robustly resume our operations, as the industry begins to reboot," the company said in a statement. Full service is being provided at all three offices, although customers are cautioned "to phone in advance, as things to tend to change, minute-by-minute." The offices are being maintained as "a handshake-free zone," and some employees are working at home. "Our sales team continues to be proactive as they serve our incredible base of customers. We are actively exploring creative solutions to help out in this challenging time. As we continue to operate at full strength, we can be a valuable resource as we look at alternative ways that our equipment can be used, especially in a humanitarian environment."

On another note, Vincent Lighting adds, "You may have seen the hashtag #SaveEvents trending on social media. The events industry has been brought to a complete halt by the COVID-19 social distancing efforts. The team at Vincent Lighting is incredibly supportive of our government's efforts to reduce the spread of this pandemic. Please consider postponing your event rather than canceling. Your actions will help our industry reboot as the social distancing orders are lifted."

And anyone looking for diversion while sheltering at home can try out these streaming possibilities:

New York's Off Off Broadway presenter HERE is offering a variety of online opportunities: here.org/programs/online-programming/, as is New York's La MaMa: lamama.org

New York's Irish Repertory Company: www.irishrep.org/theshowmustgoonline.

New York's Metropolitan Opera is offering free streaming of performance: www.metopera.org/

Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre is selling tickets for the online streaming of its most recent production, The Siblings Play: web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe.c/10530561

A special, one-performance-only version of the Rosie O'Donnell Show, featuring a galaxy of Broadway luminaries, will broadcast on Sunday, March 22 at 7:00pm ET on www.Broadway.com.

Sennheiser is initiating a series of exclusive streaming concerts on the company's Instagram account, which will be broadcast via IGTV (Instagram TV): www.instagram.com/Sennheiser/. Keep up announcements on www.sennheiser.com/anniversary. Beyond announcements of dates, the website contains numerous music videos with immersive recordings from jazz clubs, electro sets in a living room atmosphere as well as live recordings from recording studios. Just put on your headphones or turn up the speakers and dive into the music.

Performer Seth Rudetsky and producer James Wesley are offering Stars in the House, a daily series of entertainment events, feature Broadway stars performing from their homes. It's accessible on www.Playbill.com/ and it benefits The Actors Fund: bit.ly/2UlOG3z.

The 24-Hour Plays, an annual competition held in New York, has released as series of monologues featuring Hugh Dancy, Rachel Dratch, and others: 24hourplays.com/viral-monologues/.

Events are moving fast, and some of this information may be out of date by the time you read it. We'll keep you up to date as news comes in. Stay safe. Sanitize.