Mobile’s performing arts organizations are working to keep audiences engaged even as a slow-moving COVID-19 vaccine rollout keeps many venues operating at reduced capacity. Local arts leaders say the pandemic has created a two-front challenge: containing the virus itself and overcoming public wariness about returning to shared indoor spaces, a combination that has made it difficult for groups that depend on ticket sales and live audiences to fully rebound.
The strain has been felt personally throughout Mobile’s arts community over the past year, with several prominent local performers and supporters among those sickened by the virus. Organizers say that until infections subside and residents feel confident attending events again, groups such as the Mobile Symphony Orchestra and area theater and music programs will continue to face financial pressure. Civic boosters often point to the symphony and other performing arts institutions as markers of the city’s quality of life, arguing they help attract business investment while also simply making everyday life in Mobile more vibrant.
Despite the obstacles, several organizations are moving ahead with productions and offers meant to keep the arts alive through the final stretch of winter. The Alabama School of the Arts at the University of Mobile, located at 5735 College Parkway, is staging the musical “Little Women” Feb. 25-28. Based on Louisa May Alcott’s semi-autobiographical novel, the production follows sisters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March through the mid-19th century as they grow from childhood into adulthood. Pandemic precautions limited the in-person run to just 50 seats, which have already sold out, but the show can still be viewed online for a fee through umobile.edu/pas. Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. each night except for a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday. Those with questions can call 251-442-2383 for more information.
The Mobile Symphony Orchestra is offering its own incentive to keep patrons coming back for the remainder of its 2020-21 season. The organization has discounted a season membership to $99 covering its final three concerts in the yellow price zone, where individual tickets normally cost $64 apiece, a savings of nearly $100 for those who commit to all three shows. The remaining performances are set for late March, early May and mid-June, with seating still available both on the main floor and in the upstairs mezzanine. Those interested in the offer can call the Mobile Symphony box office at 251-432-2010.
The University of South Alabama’s Department of Music has likewise kept up a steady schedule of faculty concerts, recitals and other performances throughout the pandemic, largely credited to the efforts of department Events Coordinator Keith Bohnet, who maintains a mailing list to keep the community informed of upcoming programs. Under normal circumstances, those events give area residents an affordable way to experience live music while supporting the university’s music students. Interested residents can call 251-460-7116 to learn more or to be added to the notification list.
The pandemic has significantly altered how those performances reach the public, however, since in-person attendance has been curtailed at the university’s Laidlaw Performing Arts Center, known for its acoustics. To adapt, the university’s Wind Ensemble and Symphony Band recorded their fall concert outside the Laidlaw Center for later broadcast, with that performance streaming Thursday, Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. A companion winter concert from the same ensembles will stream Thursday, March 4, at 7 p.m., conducted by William H. Peterson and Jason F. Rinehart. Both programs can be viewed at southalabama.edu/colleges/music/livestream.html, an address Bohnet said is worth bookmarking for future university music events, some of which will also include downloadable program notes.
For now, area arts advocates say the combination of discounted tickets, adapted productions and livestreamed alternatives represents the best path to keeping Mobile’s cultural institutions afloat until wider vaccination allows audiences to return in full.