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Tucson arts presenters and independent venues have been having hard conversations about how and when to reopen their doors and put artists on their stages. But with the need for capacity restrictions and the dire state of touring, some see an unsustainable situation at best.

鈥淚t鈥檚 interesting because everyone was talking about the restaurants, but the live event industry is taking it on the chin big time,鈥� said Tucson Convention Center General Manager Glenn Grabski.

鈥淭his is an existential crisis for the industry in general, but especially for the non-big players,鈥� said Curtis McCrary, the Rialto Theatre鈥檚 executive director. 鈥淭here are many scenarios where this could be fatal for venues like ours. ... And we don鈥檛 really have a fully developed picture yet.鈥�

Local venues big and small have been closed since March 12, when Tucson Mayor Regina Romero banned gatherings of 50 or more. The Rialto Theatre, the Fox Tucson Theatre and Hotel Congress scrambled to cancel and reschedule events, although many of the artists had already canceled on their own even before the shutdown.

The AVA at Casino del Sol, which was supposed to start its 2020 concert series in late spring, pulled the plug on a dozen shows and rescheduled many for later in the summer or early fall.

Even those dates are fluid as artists and venues wait and see how the situation unfolds. Desert Diamond Casino postponed four shows, including comedian Ron White鈥檚 June 19 show that was announced last October.

No new dates have been announced, and Desert Diamond officials said it is still working things out.

Events at the TCC鈥檚 three venues 鈥� the nearly 9,000-seat Tucson Arena, the 2,300-seat Tucson Music Hall and the 500-seat Leo Rich Theatre 鈥� were canceled or rescheduled, and most of the rescheduled dates are not guaranteed.

With the dust beginning to clear, many venues say business as usual is still months away.

Ducey鈥檚 two-month stay-home order expired May 15, paving the way for businesses, including bars and restaurants, to reopen with strict social-distancing measures that call for a 6-foot separation of patrons. That means many of Tucson鈥檚 theaters and clubs will be required to block off seats and reduce their capacity by half or more.

Fox Tucson Theatre Executive Director Bonnie Schock said that in a worst-case scenario capacity may have to be pared down to 20% of its current 1,164 seats. The theater is also looking at ways to reach half its capacity, but even then it would be hard to make ends meet on its live events.

鈥淚 am an eternal optimist and I believe in the power of a live performance ... and I know people will come back,鈥� said Schock, who earlier this month announced that the Fox will remain closed through Aug. 31. 鈥淏ut we鈥檝e got to find a way to come through in order to know that the Fox is going to be there to come back.鈥�

McCrary at the Rialto sees very little wiggle room if he has to eliminate his general admission standing setup and convert to reserved seating throughout the historic downtown theater.

鈥淭he ideas that have been discussed, I just don鈥檛 see how it鈥檚 a path forward if we have a restricted capacity,鈥� he said. 鈥淗ow do you make the numbers work? ... It鈥檚 a very low margin to begin with.鈥�

McCrary estimates the theater at 318 E. Congress St. has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars due to the shutdown. Schock puts Fox Theatre鈥檚 losses at $1.5 million and counting, and that鈥檚 after laying off its events crew 鈥� everyone from ticket sellers to ushers and stage crew 鈥� and maintaining just its administration, planning and artistic staff.

The Fox, which operates on a $5 million annual budget, spends between $90,000 and $100,000 a month just to keep the lights on, Schock said.

The city-operated TCC, which has been managed since 2014 by the worldwide events and venue management firm ASM Global, has lost at least $1 million in revenues since the shutdown. The city plans to reopen its buildings June 8.

鈥淚鈥檓 not racing to open my doors June 9 because I don鈥檛 have anything in here,鈥� Grabski said. 鈥淲e want to do it safe ... but, boy, I would like to get my (300) team members back to work again.鈥�

David Slutes hopes to begin reigniting the music scene at Hotel Congress in early June, but it won鈥檛 be in the hotel鈥檚 popular Club Congress. Instead, Slutes is mapping out plans to incorporate the hotel鈥檚 restaurant, The Cup Caf茅, with its music program, using the hotel鈥檚 sprawling plaza and patio that face East Toole Avenue.

鈥淎t the least, it will be a hybrid business model where we have music on our plaza after hours or on the nights The Cup isn鈥檛 open, if we deem it safe to do so,鈥� the music director said.

EMERGING STRONGER

While revenue has been lost and the challenges ahead are steep, Stephen Haines, CEO of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, can鈥檛 help but consider how the value of Tucson鈥檚 arts scene has really shone through during the pandemic.

鈥淲hen all of this started it kind of felt like living in a movie, this disconnect with reality,鈥� said Haines, who came on board in December. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fascinating to watch, but I still am convinced and optimistic as ever that we will come out of this stronger. I just think communities are going to come out of this stronger.鈥�

Haines said he has been talking with city officials about reconfiguring seats at the Tucson Music Hall, where the TSO performs, to meet the state鈥檚 safety protocols before the orchestra begins its 2020-21 season on Sept. 25.

Among the ideas being explored is creating checkerboard seating, which would block off patches of seats throughout the venue. The orchestra also is considering events that would involve smaller orchestra ensembles.

When the state shut down in March, the TSO had just two concerts left of its 2019-20 season. The orchestra spends nearly 100 days in the Music Hall between rehearsals and performances and its economic impact to the community based on the most recent studies is as high as $30 million when you consider the orchestra鈥檚 250 employees and its audience, Haines said.

鈥淲hen we talk about the cultural community, we need to talk about the value 鈥� uppercased 鈥榁鈥� value 鈥� to the community,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an interesting landscape that we鈥檙e looking at. In some ways it鈥檚 a little more challenging for performing arts, and in some ways I鈥檓 kind of actually happy that arts are being 鈥榚levated鈥� to be in the same discussion of sports and athletics. Our value is being appreciated, so I welcome that.鈥�

Grabski also puts the performing arts in the same conversation with sports. In addition to hosting big-name concerts and events, the Tucson Arena is home to the Tucson Roadrunners and University of 蜜聊直播 IceCats hockey teams.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 happening on a national level, sports will lead the way. They will be a huge indicator of what the live events industry will do,鈥� Grabski said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 going to really be the key to when things get going back to a more normal state.鈥�

Meanwhile, UA Presents 鈥� the University of 蜜聊直播鈥檚 arts arm 鈥� plans to emerge from the coronavirus health crisis with a new name and mission, said its Executive Director Chad Herzog.

The transformation will be announced in August. While Herzog, who has been running UA Presents since May 2019, won鈥檛 reveal details, he said changes will include putting on performances outside of its longtime home 鈥� Centennial Hall.

鈥淚 think when you look at the fall and see what we鈥檙e doing in the fall, a lot of it is going to be outside and taking place in Tucson and Southern 蜜聊直播,鈥� he said. 鈥�(The changes) have given us an opportunity to be extremely nimble. We have a lot of plans for the fall.鈥�