Some local live-event 颅venues will continue to feel the 颅pandemic pinch, despite the B.C. government鈥檚 decision to remove capacity restrictions on indoor organized events and gatherings starting Monday.
While the change is 颅welcomed by small theatres and 颅restaurants, other venues, including nightclubs, will remain limited. Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre will see a partial benefit right away 鈥� the next home hockey game for the Victoria Royals on Nov. 5 will have a capacity of 7,000 people. But concerts at the arena require months of advance planning.
The only non-hockey events booked at the Memorial Centre currently are a concert by James 颅Taylor and Jackson Browne, and the Stars on Ice tour, both of which occur in May.
鈥淚t takes a bit of time to plan this kind of stuff, from a 颅promoter鈥檚 point of view,鈥� said George Fadel, senior director of marketing for the 颅Memorial Centre, whose calendar has been an ever-rotating mix of announcements, postponements and cancellations.
Nightclubs are in the most tenuous spot. Unlike restaurants and lounges, which offer seating for their patrons, venues where dancing is a significant component remain in limbo. Their capacities will be upped from 50 per cent to 100 next week, but there鈥檚 a no-dancing edict from provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely progress, so I can鈥檛 be upset about it,鈥� said Quincy Leachman, general manager of The Duke Saloon and Upstairs Cabaret.
鈥淏ut it鈥檚 a new host of challenges trying to get people to sit down and not dance.鈥�
The Duke has a capacity of 300 people, which had been cut to 150 for recent events. Leachman expects the new provincial health orders will amount to an additional 20 people in the room, until dancing is allowed 鈥� a good improvement, he said, but not a great one. He has encountered greater difficulty with Upstairs Cabaret, which has been shuttered for the better part of two years due to COVID-related constrictions.
The venue in Bastion Square has a capacity of 500, and is looking at reopening only for live events in the coming weeks. 鈥淎s we speak, I鈥檓 looking at floor plans, trying to see how many seats we can squeeze in while giving people a good view of the stage,鈥� Leachman said.
Staffing will be an issue, no matter the venue or type of event. 鈥淚t isn鈥檛 like turning on a switch, and it will take some time to build capacity 鈥� including recruitment of staff 鈥� within our organization,鈥� said Randal Huber, managing director of the Chemainus Theatre Festival. 鈥淲e are planning a graduated return to stage but don鈥檛 have any programming for mainstage to announce as of [this week].鈥�
The Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre held a job fair to entice new workers, but Fadel said there may still be a shortage of trained professionals once concerts return in full. The film industry, which saw a healthy resurgence during the pandemic, is where many service-industry professionals have turned for work. (In an ironic twist, The Duke received a consistent stream of revenue during the pandemic as one of the main production hubs for the Victoria-shot Netflix series Maid.)
With no promise of recurring shifts at bars or theatres, many servers have left the industry. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e moved on to the government job or real estate or wherever good bartenders go to die,鈥� Leachman said with a laugh.
Many operators spoke about 鈥渢he new normal,鈥� and why audiences should lower their expectations of what is feasible, given the financial constraints brought about by COVID-19. That said, there is hope. Both the McPherson Playhouse and Royal Theatre have full winter schedules that come back to life in the first week of November.
