Live performers hit hard as pandemic holds center stage

Live performers hit hard as pandemic holds center stage

çPKGÑ(nats from cso july 4thvideo - 42:44) (track)July 4th.The Cincinnati SymphonyOrchestra's spread-out, nolive audience concert streamedonline was it.(show VO ofcincinnati stagehand calendar- tc 11:39:45)The only starleft on stagehands' calendaránotá scratched forcoronavirus.

(sot/ tc11:20:43/ tom guidugli/cincinnati stage employees,business agent)"Day one, wewere the first ones out.

Ourevents were the first onescanceled.

We were in themiddle of loading a show intothe Taft when the decision wasmade that the performer wasnot going to go on." 10 sec(track)The Aronoff...Riverbend... Music Hall...even convention trade showsfollowed.(show cincy balletphoto)No ballet.(show cincyopera photo)The opera lost its100th season.(show VO ofguidugli shuffling throughhistory album)and for thefirst time in 127 years... themen and women setting up thoseshows lost all full-time work.(sot/ tc 5:30/ christopherwalter/ stagehand)"It's kindof very scary in the fact thatwe don't know when we'll beable to get back into that anddo that." (track)ChristopherWalter is one of 600 localmembers of the InternationalAlliance of Theatrical andStage Employees getting by onfederal CARES Act checks.Unlike pro sports... gettingback live entertainment beforewinter is no snap.

(sot/ tc11:22:19/ tom guidugli/cincinnati stage employees,business agent)"I'm veryhopeful that we get back towork.

But I think that theindustry has recognized andunderstands that without avaccine, it's going to make itvery challenging..." (larrylooklive)"Money is part of it.Tours need venues sold out orclose.

If you have three-thousand seats... most need 21-hundred filled.

But withsocial distancing... the safemaximum is around 500." (track)Then, there's safety.

(showphoto of rolling stone tourage article photo)According toRolling Stone... three of theworld's most popular tourshave stars in the highest-riskage group for COVID-19.(showphoto of ohio COVID-19 redcounties)and with coronaviruscases rising fast in 12 ohiocounties including Hamilton,Clermont and Butler...stagehand agent Tom Guiduglisees few live shows bookingwithout a vaccine.

(sot/ tc11:27:12/ tom guidugli/cincinnati stage employees,business agent)"When we doturn the corner on this andwhen we are out in the clear,people are going to come back.They're going to want to beentertained and they're goingto really be looking forwardto it.

So, you know, we justhave to get to that point."(track)larry seward... wcpo...nine news.