31 | This W eek | T hursday,F ebruary 24,2022 durham region.com PlusApplicable Tax SPECIAL! COMPLETEBATHROOM CALLFoRDETAILSLimitedTimeoffer NoTToBEComBINEDWITHANYoTHERoFFER FREE ESTIMATE LOCALLYOWNED ANDOPERATED 20YEARS EXPERIENCE DurhamHomeRenovations Inc. 905-261-9911 YOURFIRSTCHOICEFOR QUALITYRENOVATIONS ALLWORKFULLY GUARANTEED PROFESSIONALCONTRACTINGATVERYREASONABLEPRICES It's Friday the 13th in March 2020. What could possibly go wrong? A pandemic had just been declared. David Mirvish did not want to put anyone's health at risk, so he shut his theatres. All four Mirvish theatres were in operation with popular shows, including the long-awaited Broadway blockbuster "Hamilton", which had had just begun a 14-week sold-out run. (It would only play four weeks.) Audiences were furious. Some could not understand why the shows were shut down when the government had not yet mandated a lockdown. (It would do so a few days later.) They felt cheated of entertainment. Similarly, actors, musicians, technicians and theatre staff felt cheated of their passion and livelihoods. Nobody chooses to work in theatre because it's a paycheque. You can find jobs that pay a lot more and are a lot more reliable. We work in theatre because we love it. We wouldn't be able to live without it. Having our entire sector shut down was shocking, something nobody had even considered. When it became clear that this wasn't going to be a short pause, we had to face the ugly truth: the theatre can't exist without an audience; an audience is a collection of strangers who congregate in close proximity to watch a live performance. In other words, the ideal scenario for a virus to spread. How long will this pandemic last? If it lasts a very long time, could audiences forget about going to the theatre altogether? Will everyone become addicted to getting their entertainment at home? Could this be the end of theatre? These existential questions have haunted us for two years now. There has been some respite, like this past fall when the government suddenly declared that it was safe enough for fully vaccinated audiences to take in a show, as long as everyone was masked. For a few months we were able to feel like our work mattered again, that we had a purpose. Just as suddenly, it was all over when Omicron made its rude appearance. But now, the future is looking hopeful. Omicron is on a downward trajectory and theatres are being allowed to reopen at 50 per cent capacity, and (hopefully) on March 14 at 100 per cent. Most Mirvish theatres are scheduled to reopen April 5 with the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre slated to reopen on May 31 with the biggest play ever to be staged in Canada: "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child". It looks like theatre will not only survive but flourish. John Karastamatis is director of sales and marketing for Mirvish Productions. THEATRES SET STAGE TO WELCOME BACK AUDIENCES AGAIN OPINION: OUR CHANGED WORLD 'THE FUTURE IS LOOKING HOPEFUL,' SAYS JOHN KARASTAMATIS JOHN KARASTAMATIS Column