As a Minnesota-native, I'll not-so-reluctantly admit that I love all the recent snow. It reminds me of home. But the difference between Minneapolis and Richmond is that there, residents are ready for and equipped to handle large amounts of snow. Richmonders are not.
It's no one's fault. If I had grown up in a temperate climate, I'd be terrified to drive in snow and ice. If I worked for the City of Richmond, I probably wouldn't think investing thousands of dollars in snow removal preparations "just in case" would be a wise use of taxpayer funds. But regardless, here we are, stuck in the aftermath of "Snowmageddon" (gag) with more white stuff in the forecast.
While the snow is pretty and the kiddos are loving the string of days off from school, nonprofit arts organizations' opinions of dear Mother Nature aren't quite as rosy. Show cancellations mean dollars lost. It's that simple. And when several shows are budgeted to simply break even... well... I'm not very good at math but even I can figure that out.
Even before the snow hit, the arts were in a precarious spot. Barksdale and Theatre IV are in the same boat (or sled, as it were) as many of our fellow arts organizations. No one wants to see the arts go away. But that said, it means we all need to do our part.
Several theatre advocates in the community have been buzzing about the concept of "virtual tickets" -- meaning, sending a donation to a theatre for the same amount as a ticket to a show you might have attended, but was canceled due to snow. For example, a ticket to The Song of Mulan is $22, so my donation to Theatre IV would be $22. (All four of the scheduled performances of Mulan this weekend were canceled.)
I think this is a great idea. Every little bit helps. And if everyone helps a little....... we can build a happy little snowman.
(Snowman courtesy of my 11-year-old neighbor, Dameon .)
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