Kentucky Center for Performing Arts surviving pandemic, planning next act

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts is making tentative plans to turn the lights back on next spring.

The Louisville Orchestra was the last live performance on the stage of the downtown arts and entertainment venue in early March. But echoes of that event have long since faded, and the stage has remained dark.

"The hit, as you can imagine, has been hard," spokesperson Christian Adelberg said.

Kentucky Performing Arts, which operates the Brown Theater and Paristown Hall as well as the Kentucky Center, has laid off or furloughed most of its employees, Adelberg told WDRB News. What was once a staff of 98 full-time employees is now 12.

Before the pandemic, the organization had a $20 million operating budget. With no revenue, Adelberg said it is currently operating month to month.

"We've made deep cuts within the organization," Adelberg said. "We're down to bare bones to make sure that we can still operate."

Kentucky Center for Performing Acts (exterior) — The Kentucky Center for Performing Acts in downtown Louisville, Ky.

The center has been trying to generate revenue through ticket sales for virtual events.

One of the next big ones is scheduled for Nov. 28, a livestream of "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," featuring live commentary from stars Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo.

"As revenue generators, they're, as you can imagine, nowhere near what they would be in a 2400-seat theater, but they're doing well," Adelberg said.

The center has booked live, in-person shows for next spring, including the Broadway smash hit "Hamilton," for April 2021.

Adelburg said the center is "planning to move forward" with the shows it's booked for next year -- unless the coronavirus continues to steal the show.

HAMILTON - ORIGINAL CAST - AP FILE.jpeg — FILE - In this June 12, 2016 file photo, Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of "Hamilton" perform at the Tony Awards in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

Instead, Adelburg hopes a vaccine can be the real star.

"The vaccine is really going to be the big swing," he said. "That's going to be the major change for everything. But I still believe that it will be some time before everyone is able to receive the vaccine."

And it may also be some time before patrons feel comfortable returning to large indoor gatherings.

Kentucky Performing Arts has received some government funds, including CARES Act dollars, and donations from private foundations, according to Adelburg. However, he said the arts community needs support from the public now more than ever.

"We are strong; we are resilient, but we also need everyone's help to make sure that we can come back strong on other side of this pandemic," he said.

You can donate to the Kentucky Performing Arts Foundation here and to the Fund for the Arts here.