Cultural Centre continues redevelopment of season after initial successes

November 19, 2020 · 0 Comments

It was a return to some degree of normalcy as a limited number of music lovers found their seats at the historic Aurora Armoury last month for a concert from musician Royal Wood.

Seated in small groups for music and a meal, it was the first indoor ticketed event of the Aurora Cultural Centre’s 2020-2021 Fall Season, the first of what they hoped would be many indoor and live-streamed events for the community.

But, just a couple of weeks later, new health restrictions from the Province in response to the global pandemic all but scuttled the plans the Centre had in place once again, and they’re now working diligently to re-think their performing and visual arts season as socially-distant in-person classes continue.

“There was a joy in people being able to come back again in arts expression,” says Jane Taylor of the Aurora Cultural Centre. “It was palpable at both our outdoor event [for Culture Days in September] with Tribal Vision Dance and indoors with Royal Wood. Royal Wood was a big step for us. We just had a phenomenal response back from the public saying, ‘I have no suggestions to make [in order to make it] feel like a better or safer event. This felt normal after so many months.’”

Nobody, she says, complained about having to wear masks when not eating or drinking, nor being unable to accommodate all their friends at the same table. Instead, there was a sense of gratitude from artists and ticket-holders alike.

“It has been something of a mutual admiration society, saying, ‘We have taken every step to hopefully make this as safe as possible, but we’re also in a go-forward position,’” says Ms. Taylor, adding live-streaming, a new option for the Aurora Cultural Centre, proved particularly popular. “It was a thrill… seeing and hearing from our audience across North America and seeing their comments on the joy of seeing a beloved artist. By the same token, my live audience said how proud they were that Aurora was being beamed across North America.

“The other surprising thing for me was how many locals chose the livestream option. It makes perfect sense because when you’re delivering in-person programming, it is for people who are ready to return to in-person programming. It was telling how many people in Aurora chose this option.”

Despite the success of this season launch, which included all health protocols, and a few extras, including creative videos made by the Aurora Cultural Centre to drive these protocols home, they are now in a holding pattern for live entertainment as new cases of COVID-19 surge in a second wave.

According to Cultural Centre Executive Director Suzanne Haines, they are eyeing virtual performances this December, including one classical concert and one Christmas concert to ring in the season, including fan favourites.

“Jane and I planned these incredible concerts that we have had to either push back or cancel – and that is okay, we understand the situation, so now we are down to two possible concerts event in December,” says Ms. Haines. “That is the reality we face. In this time, we are looking at a virtual concert experience: what can we do that is just purely a virtual experience for our emerging artists? We have a number of emerging artists we have worked with through the years, and we would love to be able to support these live artists by getting a fee into their hands for them to be doing a concert for Aurora, York Region and anyone who wants to access it virtually.

“Overall, I would say our timelines seem to have shrunk. We need to pull something together in three weeks when we’re used to programming twelve to eighteen months in advance, and that is significant for in-person events.”

But programming continues. Their virtual galleries are still running, giving a digital look at exhibitions that have been installed in the Centre’s temporary gallery space at Town Hall, which is also waiting for the moment they are able to open back up to the public. In-person arts classes are also continuing at a very limited capacity at the Armoury.

“When we set up our in-person education classes, we had already limited the size of those classes to nine, so luckily the in-person education programs at the Armoury have been able to move forward,” says Ms. Haines. “What we found [after we finished our first group classes] is we had such a positive and incredibly emotional response to the fact people can get back into the kind of artistic practice they have enjoyed with us. All of our protocols are vetted by York Region Public Health, which raises our confidence. The education program is still moving forward cautiously. With Stage 2 with only 9 people we are still able to move that program ahead.

I have these surges of pride as we work together and build something. We’re in uncertain times, so the ability to live and work within that uncertainty and be flexible and understanding and willing to come back to the table over and over again with new information – kudos to the team that everyone is willing to do that and I think it is a very special group of people, highly skilled, and just with this incredible acumen around their own roles that make it really slick. It is not painless, but with joy and with a real interest in serving the community. A super-special group of people.”

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter