Page 39 - BusinessWest March 31, 2021

Big Steps Forward
Jacob’s Pillow Looks to Rebound from a Horrific 2020
FBy George O’Brien
or Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, the nation’s
largest and longest running dance festi-
val, 2020 was a lost year in almost every respect.
That’s almost, and we’ll get to that silver lin- ing, if it can be called that, shortly. First, all those losses.
Jacob’s Pillow lost an entire season of live per- formances and all the revenue that comes with
it, forcing a 50% reduction in the budget, layoffs, and other cutbacks. It also lost some momentum when it comes to fundraising, especially for a much-needed renovation of its main stage, the Ted Shawn Theatre, or the ‘Shawn,’ as it’s known. Then, in November, the company lost its smaller, more intimate performance space, the Doris Duke Theatre, or the ‘Duke,’ to a fast-moving fire, the cause of which has still not been determined.
But from the ashes, figura- tively but also quite literally, Jacob’s Pillow has plans to roar back in 2021, said Pam Tatge, executive and artistic direc- tor. It will be a different kind of year, one with performances in outdoor settings only and to limited audiences, but one in which the company plans to lay a solid foundation for its 90th birthday in 2022, and for the decades to come.
Indeed, ambitious plans are in place to modernize the
Ted Shawn Theatre, add air conditioning and new ventila- tion, and enlarge and improve the stage. Meanwhile, plans are expected to emerge for a
new Duke, one that will be conceptualized and designed with input gathered from audiences and artists alike.
“We’ve embarked on a research study to really understand what audiences and artists loved
“We realized an audience for our virtual festival that had thousands more people than we could ever accommodate on the Pillow campus.”
about the Doris Duke Theatre, what they want to retain, and also what artists need for works being made in the 21st century,” Tatge noted. “We’re building a space, hopefully, for the next 90 years.”
While doing that, Jacob’s Pillow will also put on a season of live performances, the pieces of which are still coming together. It will run from June 30 to Aug. 29 and, for logistical reasons and lingering restrictions on travel, feature mostly performers based within driving distance of the 220-acre campus.
Audiences will be smaller and spaced apart
DA Letterhead_Rev-2_Layout 1 5/14/14 8:34 AM Page 1
The productions at Jacob’s Pillow for the 2021 season will all be outdoors, many at the Inside/Out stage, seen here.
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