Ripple effects continue to grow as Thalia Mara Hall’s temporary shutdown stretches into late September, Jackson arts groups adjust to keep season schedules on track and promoters eye lost opportunities and calendar dates that are slipping past.
Jackson’s premier performing arts venue was closed in early August after a weekend air-
conditioning failure and discovery of mold, sending stakeholders scrambling to secure
alternative venues or deal with cancellations. A recent state fire marshal report citing 22 fire code violations at the building, and noting the health issues of indoor mold and human waste on its outside balcony heaped on more concern for onlookers who can only watch and wait for remediation work to begin.
The Jackson fire marshal will assist crews to address fire code issues once it is safe to return to he building, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said at a briefing last week. “We don’t want anyone in Thalia Mara Hall until the remediation goes forward.”
A contractor was on standby to address the balcony issue, he added, and city officials had already been looking into ways, such as appropriate fencing on the outside stairwell, to limit the area’s access by people who are unhoused and try to camp there.
“From a pain level of 1 to 10, it’s an easy 10,” Barnett said, expressing his frustration and little faith the city can meet the timeline under discussion. “No one’s going to buy a ticket until that building is deemed 100 percent safe, and then it might be a bit of a struggle until we get a couple of shows in there. The next six months are pretty rough, even if they get it cleaned up,” he said, with the inability to confidently book shows given the necessary lead time to announce it and sell tickets. “It’s a huge snowball effect.”
Innovation Arts and Entertainment CEO Adam Epstein keeps a close eye on theater
developments with their Broadway in Jackson fall events and series on the calendar in
November and December: “Tina — The Tina Turner Musical” Nov. 19; “Cirque Dreams
Holidaze” Dec. 12; “Chicago: The Musical” Dec. 16; and “Mannheim Steamroller Christmas” Dec. 27.
“If the city doesn’t start the remediation work in the next seven days, the entire
Broadway in Jackson series is in dire jeopardy of being canceled” through the end of this year, Epstein said.
Season tickets went on sale in August, and are down by more than half. “It’s
crickets.”
The Mississippi Book Festival did manage a switch that preserved some of its in-person student outreach and even scored an all-time high of 37,000 students with broadcast into classrooms around the state of children’s and YA author events before the Sept. 14 festival. Area schoolkids are traditionally bused to Thalia Mara Hall for the pre-fest activities.
“We had to pivot, at least three weeks out from the event,” festival director Ellen Rodgers said, adding a day to the schedule and the destination of Belhaven University for the Arts instead. Calling Thalia Mara Hall “a marquee venue we’ve come to rely on. It is such a treasure, so that was sad. We just made do. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get back there.”
The fest’s Thursday plans with Angie Thomas went virtual when weather threats prevented school travel, but Friday’s author Kate DiCamillo event proceeded with 750 students in-person.
Changes meant fewer books went directly into kids’ hands. In-person students get a copy of their own of the featured author’s new book; virtually participating schools receive copies for the school library.
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Publish date : 2024-09-23 03:06:00
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