'Quality is primary in all of our minds.'

STRAIGHT TALK WITH ROD LANSBERRY

Arvada Center Artistic Director of Musicals

 

Rod Lansberry photo by R. Atchison.  

Welcome back to "Straight Talk," our ongoing series with Arvada Center artistic leaders and others from the local theatre community touching base directly with their audiences about the unique challenges they face during this unprecedented time. Next up: Artistic Director of Musicals Rod Lansberry, who has been with the Arvada Center since 1992, tells Senior Arts Journalist John Moore: “Every theatre in the country is struggling with how to figure all of this out right now.”

John Moore: What is the state of the Arvada Center's musicals division right now?

Rod Lansberry: It's very complicated. Before this all started, we had a very strong season planned, and we knew it was going to be a challenge for us to pull it off. That challenge is obviously magnified now. We have to step back and look again at everything we had planned, look at it realistically and ask not only, "Can we do this?" but, "Can we do this right?" [President and CEO] Philip Sneed, [Artistic Director of Plays] Lynne Collins and I all agree that if we are going to do it at all, we are going to do it right. Our audiences have come to expect the quality that we have been able to deliver over the years. But this is the biggest challenge the Arvada Center has ever faced in its 40-plus years. 

John Moore: You and your audiences have been looking forward to “Kinky Boots” in the fall, but there are so many current complicating factors that could compromise the quality that you just talked about. What are the pros and cons of going ahead and doing the show as scheduled in the fall – or perhaps waiting until sometime next year, when things might be closer to normal?

Rod Lansberry: Right now, there are so many gray areas as far as when our venues will be able to open, and what restrictions will be placed on those venues when they do. All of our revenue projections are based on a certain number of audiences attending. And the fact is, we might not be able to bring those audiences back to the theatre right away.

"This is the biggest challenge the Arvada Center has ever faced in its 40-plus years.” – Rod Lansberry

John Moore: What do the numbers look like?

Rod Lansberry: We have both the luxury and yet the conflict of having three different performance spaces. We have our outdoor space that holds 1,600, the Main Stage Theatre that holds 526, and the Black Box Theatre that holds 200. And we still don't know how many of those spaces we can use, or how many people we can put in them. With social distancing, we're estimating we will be losing about 50 percent of our seats. That’s really going to make a difference in what we can produce, how we can produce it and when we can produce it. And again, quality is primary in all of our minds, and that is going to require some juggling with how we approach things.

John Moore: And of course the all-important matter of keeping the actors and creative team safe.

Rod Lansberry: That is rapidly becoming the next big question. We're a union theatre, so Actors' Equity Association will have a lot to say about this. But at this time, they don't know what to say. It's really a conundrum. They're in control, and they are going to decide what we can and cannot do. But they have not made any final determinations yet, and that leaves us very little room to work with. It’s a little nerve-wracking. In the meantime, we are following all of the CDC [Centers for Disease Control] guidelines, state guidelines and city guidelines. Our priority is the safety of our workplace and the safety and comfort of our audience. But that’s going to take a lot of extra effort.

John Moore: What are some of the other factors you’re considering?

Rod Lansberry: We've also been paying very close attention to all the news updates and audience surveys regarding when they will be willing to come back. We just found out New York theatre won't even start up with rehearsals and production work again until Labor Day at the earliest.

John Moore: Frankly, doesn’t September seem overly optimistic for Broadway given that New York is the epicenter of the virus in this country?

Rod Lansberry: In my opinion, yes. I don't see it happening until the spring of 2021. It's not a matter of just getting a production back up and opening. It’s a matter of going back into rehearsal, possibly re-casting, having to re-finance – all of those elements that go into a Broadway production that we actually deal with here at the Arvada Center in a similar way, just not on the same scale.

Read more: Survey says most local theatregoers aren't coming back in the next few months

John Moore: It sounds like the message you want to pass on to Arvada Center audiences right now might be patience. Because you are going to deliver what you have promised, but it may take a while to deliver on that promise.

Rod Lansberry: We are going to deliver on our promise of putting up the best possible productions that we can. We know our audience wants to come back, and we greatly appreciate that. But right now, studies are consistently showing that only about 25 percent of theatre audiences will feel comfortable coming back in a month. Less than 60 percent are saying they will come back in three months. So I think we might be looking at years before the audience as a whole will feel comfortable going into an enclosed space again. It's the same concern for sports teams and concert venues.

John Moore: So Rod, you have been producing three to four musicals at the Arvada Center every year for nearly 25 years now. And it's now been almost a year since “Bright Star.”  What is it like for you to simply have to wait this out?

Rod Lansberry: It's definitely torture. We are required to work from home right now, so not being in the atmosphere of the theatre is so foreign to me. This has been way too much time away. I miss the interaction with the other artists on our team. It doesn't matter how many times we Skype or Zoom, you still miss that personal connection. Not having the actors around feels wrong, too. It’s all just so weird.

John Moore: What do you want to tell people who maybe don't understand how hard this has been on the actors who have lost pretty much every opportunity they have to earn any income at this time, including secondary sources from teaching or working in restaurants?

Rod Lansberry: It hurts because Denver has a very tight theatre community, and no matter what show I’m doing, I always want to hire as many local actors as possible. We have a lot of talent right here, and our audiences have come to recognize our hometown actors. They have favorites they want to see again and again. It's important to me to bring that local community together – and that has been taken away until we all come up with a whole lot of solutions to the situation we are in.

(Pictured at right: Rebecca Spence of Louisville was one of 16 local actors who performed in 'Bright Star.' Matt Gale Photography)

John Moore: Have you given any thought to what accommodations you might have to make in terms of intimacy and maintaining distance between your actors on the stage?

Rod Lansberry: That's definitely something I keep trying to figure out, and I'll be honest: I’ve come up with a blank. Social distancing goes way beyond just how to place actors on the stage. It covers every part of the production process – costume fittings, for example. I am very hands-on when it comes to working with my designers, and yet if we were doing a show right now, I would not be allowed in the room. Every theatre in the country is struggling with how to figure all of this out right now.

John Moore: What do you know about the actors’ union’s place in all of this?

Rod Lansberry: Actors’ Equity is something our audience isn't really familiar with, and as soon as you mention the word “union,” they think Teamsters, but it's not a labor union in the normal sense. They are there for the protection of the actors, and to lay out guidelines for theatres so that its members are treated with fairness and consistency. On April 21, Equity told its members it will not issue contracts until employers have specific safety protocols in place. But they have not said what those protocols will be yet. The union has hired David Michaels, who was the assistant Secretary of Labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA] under President Obama, to establish COVID-19 safety standards for how we will need to work. So it's been taken out of our hands. And now, we wait.

John Moore: Have they given you a timeline for when you will have those guidelines?

Rod Lansberry: Nothing has even been said about a time frame. They may not even have them by September. And if that’s the case, they may have to extend the re-opening of Broadway even more.

(Story continues below the video)

 Part of the cast of 'Bright Star' reunited to make the video above.

John Moore: You provided a little ray of optimism when you virtually reunited part of your “Bright Star” cast to record the song "Sun's Gonna Shine" as a message of hope during this shutdown.

Rod Lansberry: It sounds trite, but because of that video, I have a new motto that I try to approach things with every day. Watching that the video for the first time, I thought: “This is who we are. This is what we do. And we’ll be back.”

Next: Straight Talk from other artistic leaders from the Colorado theatre community.

Contact John Moore at culturewestjohn@gmail.com

MORE STRAIGHT TALK

• Lynne Collins, Arvada Center Artistic Director of Plays. READ IT HERE

• Philip C. Sneed, Arvada Center President and CEO. READ IT HERE

• Survey: Most theatregoers aren't coming back anytime soon. READ IT HERE

• COVID-19's toll on Colorado theatre: 224 productions and counting. READ IT HERE

 

Home,Reignite the Arts,Art at Home,Support Arvada Center Artists,Virtual Auction,Donate Now,Donate Now,Corporate Giving,Art Circle,2023-2024 Theatre Season,Renew,Visit Us,View All Events,Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express,Roland Bernier: In Other Words,Word Play,Animal Farm,Cleo Parker Robinson Dance presents Summer Suite,Big Band Royalty,Lola Montejo: After Another After,Floyd D. Tunson: Ascent,Anthony Garcia Sr: Pigment,A Tribute to the Boston Pops,The CJRO presents A Night of Sizzling Soul with Larry Braggs,Pink Martini featuring China Forbes,Carlou D,Pamela Webb: Hand + Hammer,Lauri Lynnxe Murphy: Seeing the Trees For the Forest,Pink Progression: Collaborations,Imprint: Print Educators of Colorado,528.0 Regional Juried Printmaking Exhibition,Wood.Works,Carley Warren: Three Pieces,Viral Influence: Art in the Time of Coronavirus,Brady Smith: (Don’t be embarrassed by) Your Trouble with Living,Melody Epperson: 100 Years + 1,Blurring The Line,Dawes,Melissa Etheridge,Narkita Gold: Black In Denver,Australian Pink Floyd,José González,Art of the State 2022,Into The Woods,Rockley Instrument Sale,Elle King,Madeleine Peyroux In Concert,One Sheet,The River Bride,Fine Art Market,Holiday Pottery Sale,The History of African American Music Part 3,Hazel Miller and the Collective: Christmas with Soul,Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,Colorado Abstract +10: A Survey,Gary Staab: Second Nature,Flora: Scientific Botanical Illustrations of Colorado Plants,Charlotte's Web,Art + Science,Jeffco Schools Foundation High School Art Exhibition,Arts For All Gala,Wendy Kowynia: Following the Thread,Spring Pottery Sale,Teacher Appreciation Concert,A Year With Frog and Toad,Damn Yankees,Bueno: Mark Bueno,Ramón Bonilla: The boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places for me.,Mary Poppins,A Tribute to Chick Corea with Eric Gunnison,Big Band Royalty: Nothin’ But the Blues,Latin Sounds From Legendary Artists,Swing, Swing, Swing: Benny and Beyond ,Denver Gay Men's Chorus: Divas, Icons and Justice Warriors,Big Draw Colorado,Drawn: From The Source,Keb' Mo',Collective Soul,Ben Folds,Lucero,Face Vocal Band,Mozart Under Moonlight,George Thorogood and the Destroyers,Toad the Wet Sprocket and Cracker,A Night at the Movies with the Colorado Symphony,The Denver Brass: In Pursuit of Leisure,Our Town,The Book Club Play,Indigo Girls,Boz Scaggs,The Ladies of Soul,Dining Partners,Amplify,Amplify Performers,Theatre,Upcoming Shows,2023-2024 Theatre Season,Performances for Students,Auditions,Million Dollar Quartet Auditions,The Laramie Project Open Auditions,Holiday Plays,Galleries,Current Exhibitions,Wood.Works Know Before You Go,Gallery Events,Upcoming Exhibitions,Art Sales,Art Submissions,Viral Influence Call for Entry,Big Draw Colorado,Sculpture Field,History Museum,Archive,Education,View All Classes,Summer Camps,Full Day,FAQ,Spring Break Camps,Classes for Kids,Classes for Adults,Ceramics,Front Range Youth Symphony,Dance Academy,Arts Day,Arts Day Outreach,Ageless Adults,Scholarships,Yesterado,Teen Intensive 2021,Yesterado,Field Trips and Outreach,ECE Field Trips,K-5 Field Trips,Middle and High School Field Trips,Outreach Programs,Preschool Partnership Program,Music and Dance,Jeffrey Siegel,Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra,Summer Concerts,AEDA Summer Concerts,Humanities,On Their Shoulders We Stand,Private Event Rentals,Caterers,Vendors,Straight Talk Series ,Straight Talk with Philip Sneed,COVID’s toll on Colorado theatre: 224 productions and counting ,Straight Talk with Lynne Collins,Straight Talk with Rod Lansberry,Straight Talk with Phamaly, Buntport, Colorado Shakes and Rocky Mountain Rep,Straight Talk with Creede Rep, Town Hall, Candlelight and Theatre Company of Lafayette,Straight Talk with Aurora Fox, BDT Stage, Cherry Creek Theatre and Misfits,Straight Talk with Su Teatro, Vintage, Backstage and Counterweight,Straight Talk with Local Theater Company, Theater 29, The Source and Equinox,Straight Talk with the Denver Center, Jesters Dinner Theatre, Glenwood Vaudeville Revue and Germinal Stage-Denver,Actors' union issues safety guidelines for re-opening,Straight Talk with square product, Forge Light, Springs Ensemble Theatre and Coal Creek Theatre of Louisville,Straight Talk with the Fine Arts Center, Miners Alley Playhouse, Dangerous Theatre and Lone Tree Arts Center ,Straight Talk with Lake Dillon Theatre Company, Boulder Ensemble Theatre Company and Northglenn Arts,Straight Talk with The Catamounts, Bas Bleu and Thingamajig,Straight Talk with Curious Theatre Company,Straight Talk with OpenStage, Firehouse and Adams Mystery Playhouse,Straight Talk with Platte Valley Players and Theatreworks,Straight Talk with Parker Arts, Stories on Stage and Thunder River ,Staight Talk 2 with Philip Sneed: This much is uncertain,Pivoting With,Pivoting with The Black Actors Guild,Pivoting with ... Emily Van Fleet and Nathan Jones,Pivoting With ... Tammy Franklin and the Curtain Playhouse,Pivoting With Nick Sugar and the Town Hall Arts Center,Pivoting With Helen Murray and the Aurora Fox,Pivoting with Edith Weiss and Christy Montour Larson,Pivoting With Scott RC Levy and the Fine Arts Center Theatre Company,Pivoting with Todd Debrecini for Halloween,Pivoting with Ashley Campbell,Pivoting with Meghan Anderson Doyle,Pivoting with Jenna Moll Reyes,Pivoting with Erik Fellenstein,Pivoting with Ray Bailey ,Pivoting with Tara Falk,Community News,Inside the Arvada Center,Director's Notes: A Midsummer Night's Dream,All About Printmaking Techniques,Humans of the Arvada Center: Meet Collin Parson ,Arvada Center Makes Masks,Christina Noel-Adcock,"Bright Star" cast unveils video as message of hope,Humans of the Arvada Center: Meet Christine Moore,Humans of the Arvada Center: Steven Cogswell,Humans of the Arvada Center: Ashi K. Smythe,City of Arvada to install new sculpture in Hoskinson Park,Humans of the Arvada Center Jessie Page,Here are the 2019-20 Henry Award nominations,Arvada Center to Offer Students World’s First Zoom Musical,Humans of the Arvada Center Cal Meakins,Humans of the Arvada Center: Adam Stolte,Supreme Court workplace ruling hits home for Lisa Leafgreen,'Time for talk is over': Arvada Center launch 'Amplify' series to raise black male voices,Humans of the Arvada Center Jon Olson ,New Arvada Center, Aurora Fox seasons reflect current complexities,It's virtually impossible not to have fun in our summer camps,News roundup: Who The Denver Actor's Fund DEAR Fund has helped,Humans of the Arvada Center: Abygail Rosales,Pink Progression Collaborations: Jina Brenneman and Margaret Kasahara,Pink Progression: Julia Rymer and Drew Austin,Revealing The Dialogue,Amplify Epiode 3 launches, series expanding to include black women,Photo Blog: Sweeney Todd Rehearsals,Humans of the Arvada Center: Gabriel Morales,Pink Progression: Sangeeta Reddy and Jodie Roth Cooper,Front Porch Series Kickoff,Cleo Parker Robinson dances back in the box with Arvada Center,Amplify turns the mic over to local Black women ,Beth Malone bringing 'joy bomb' to Arvada Center oon September 4,Theatre news: Live streaming panel Monday on a big new 'Idea',Humans of the Arvada Center: Meet Emily King,Amplify Women Episode 2,Special Book Honors Special Dance Teacher,Arvada Center pivots to radio-play series for fall ,amplify-series-comes-to-powerful-conclusion,How COVID is impacting individual artists,Take a stroll through 'Sculpture in the Field',Arts In Education Week,Colorado Theatre News: Miscast pivots to CAST ,Essay: Was the Aurora Fox a safe house on Opening Night? ,Lessons from a summer of outdoor theatre in the time of COVID ,Humans of the Arvada Center: John Hamilton,Theatre news of the week: DCPA launches Recovery Fund,Zachary Andrews take a one-man bite out of 'Dracula',Spotlight Manos Soap,Doreen Montalvo in Denver: Compassion and grit,What to do: Theatre happenings for October 23,Betty Hart's presidential promise: Build a bigger tent,Theatre happenings October 30,Virtual theatre sprouts a new branch with Arvada Center's 'The Family Tree',Humans of the Arvada Center: Brenna Clendaniel and Sophia Koop,Theatre happenings November 12,the barnstormers are back,On being Black in Denver and all the colors that it brings,Getting to Know: Dylan Thomas’s A Child’s Christmas in Wales,Theatre happenings November 19: Companies entering cancellation mode,2021 in live theatre: A look into the Crystal Ball,2020 True West Awards: Buntpivot ,2020 True West Awards: Lily Bradford,2020 True West Awards: The Scenesters,2020 True West Awards: Podcastic,2020 True West Awards: Phamaly takes 'Honk' to Japan,2020 True West Awards: Christine Moore,2020 True West Awards: Alive Inside,2020 True West Awards: Michael Ensminger,True West Awards: They Wrote the Book,True West Awards: Rent-A-Pals,True West Awards: Of Spacious Skies,True West Awards: Christopher Page-Sanders,2020 True West Awards: Suffer the little children,2020 True West Awards: Spirit of Giving,2020 True West Awards: Secret Gardeners,2020 True West Awards: Denis Berkfeldt,2020 True West Awards: Amplify,2020 True West Awards: Reclaiming One Star,2020 True West Awards: William Hahn and Jessica Robblee,2020 True West Awards: Lisa Wagner Erickson,'The Family Tree affords actors rare chance to work during pandemic,SCFD: New picture of COVID carnage on metro nonprofits,New Arvada Center video offers diverse slate of holiday stories,20 for 20,Meet the Frasers,Bev Newcomb-Madden: Colorado's feisty, ferocious fairy godmother passes away ,Lucy Roucis' final act is a gutpunch,Reunite the Arts Collin Parson,Jodie Steeves and Nancy Terry,Reunite the Arts Lisa Leafgreen,Remembering John Gratkins,Reunite the Arts: From our CEO,Adapting the Great Gatsby,Small Mouth Sounds returns,Danielle Johnson Q&A,Reunite the Arts Lynne Collins,The Show Must Go On,Diana and Mike Kinsey,Get to Know Kazu Oba,Meet Suzanna Champion,The Gear of Million Dollar Quartet,FRYS and the Symphony,Get to Know Carlou D,Stories From the Studio,Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet Lares Feliciano,21 for 21,An interview with Geoffrey Kent: The Liar,Art of the State 2022 Awards,An interview with Jada Suzanne Dixon: Stick Fly,An interview with Jessica Robblee: Animal Farm,Fast Facts About Kinky Boots,Costume Department Boots Up,Rod A Lansberry Announces Retirement from Arvada Center,Lynne Collins Named Artistic Director of Arvada Center Theatre,Getting to Know José González,2022 Henry Award Nominations,Getting to Know Joan Osborne and Madeleine Peyroux,Sit Under the Stars at the Front Porch Series ,The Many Sounds of Carlou D,The Tunes of the Daniella Katzir Band,Setting the mood: Into the Woods Set Designer Brian Mallgrave,Into the Woods Directors Note,The River Bride Director's Note,What is Magical Realism?,Hispanic Heritage Month: Meet Ana María Hernando,The CJRO Sessions featuring Robert Johnson,Meet Ceramics Artist Luanne Burke,From student to teacher: Hadley’s story,Tackling the Beast,Be Like Belle on Colorado Gives Day,Things to Know About Our Town,Creating the Look of Our Town: A Q and A with Set Designer Brian Mallgrave,Whatever Lola Wants - A Deep Dive into the Damn Yankees Signature Song,Selling Your Soul - A Pop Culture Favorite,The Book Club Play Reads,Metatheatre Elements in Our Town - When a Play Knows It's a Play,90s Throwback Vibe with Arvada Center 2023 Summer Concert Series,Colorado Jazz Repertory Orchestra at the Arvada Center,Arts Advocacy,Volunteer,About Us,Ticketing Policies,Group Tickets,Ticket Discounts,Contact Us,Accessibility,Health and Safety,Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access,Careers,Know Before You Go,Tours,Adopt an Actor 2023,Adopt An Artwork,Temp,Virtual Theatre FAQ,New Website ,Pink Progression Events,On Demand Troubleshooting,Blog,Lorem ipsum,Lorem ipsum 2,Newk’s,Steuben’s Arvada,The Family Tree FAQ,Home for the Holidays,Land Acknowledgement,What To Expect at the Theatre,One Sheet Music,Gift Certificates,Gala,Gala Sponsors,Errors,404,The Family Tree Dining Offers,Privacy Policy,Our Town Synopsis,Concessions