MADISON, Wis. – They were some of the first to close and will likely be some of the last to reopen – entertainment venues were turned upside down by the pandemic.

Communication’s second anniversary passed over the summer without the art shop and music venue being open to host a celebration.

“Who are the people that the community calls on, the world calls on when they’re struggling?” asked Jennifer Bastian, director and arts manager at Communication. “Artists, musicians, writers.”

The reason many are suffering is the very thing keeping art and music venues locked and empty.

“It’s totally exhausting,” Bastian said. “It’s been very challenging. We haven’t been open at all. We keep thinking about reopening our shop, and then something happens like cases spike or the mask mandate. We always want the safety of the community and artists in our space to be the top priority. Trying to keep that the top priority and make sure we can still pay our rent is a big challenge.”

Despite donations and fundraisers, there’s a real threat the volunteer-run nonprofit on Milwaukee St. will close its doors for good.

Wisconsin ranks 50^th  in the nation when it comes to public funding per capita for the arts, according to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies.  That has been made more clear during the pandemic, Bastian said.

“When you think about Wisconsin being 50^th in the nation for arts funding, it just breaks my heart,” she said. “Longer term, if there’s not any federal or state leadership that acknowledges what small businesses and cultural organizations need to survive, we will need to close. The community needs places like ours.”

If only larger venues are left, Bastian said that leaves a serious void.

“They’re not going to support a singer songwriter or a small punk band from a high school,” she said.

At the Barrymore Theatre, general manager Steve Sperling said it takes venues of all sizes to create a thriving entertainment ecosystem.

“It’s a pretty big system and it’s a very interdependent system,” Sperling said.

Since March, the chairs in the iconic auditorium have gone unused.

“We miss all the people that come here,” Sperling said. “It’s all of the work, but none of the fun.”

Even without income, the theater is doing OK financially for now, according to Sperling, who can only guess at when they’ll be able to fill the chairs again.

“Everybody’s just playing it by ear,” he said, throwing out next March as a possibility.

“It’s exhausting … Realistically, it could be 2022 until we’re open again, which is tough,” said Doug Reed, artistic director at The Broom Street Theater, where the full 2020 lineup of productions has been put on hold.

“One of the charms of our space is it’s so small and it’s so intimate,” Reed said. “That also makes it kind of a nightmare in COVID times.”

For now, he said the theater has stopped speculating on when they can schedule performances. In the meantime, they’re working on upgrades.

Reed said the theater is better off than some in the industry, because they own the building outright and aren’t in a dire financial situation.

“We can wait it out,” he said. “Not a lot of theater companies are in that position.”

Those in the industry are concerned the pandemic might leave more than empty pockets, but vacant spaces, too.

“Small spaces are necessary to help the community thrive,” Bastian said.

Communication is hosting a two-year anniversary fundraiser in various ways virtually Saturday, including Instagram sales and live-streamed music.

The Bartell Theatre is also seeking donations, writing in a Facebook post that “The Bartell’s shutdown also means that the organization’s revenue flow has mostly stopped.” The Bartell has a “Rent the Marquee” program allowing donors to choose messages that will be displayed on the marquee.

The Broom Street Theater and Barrymore Theatre both accept donations on their websites.

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