Arts in Nelson: ‘confidence is shot’

Recent changes to Covid-19 restrictions won’t make much of a difference to a struggling Nelson arts sector, according to local theatre and festival leaders.

As of last week, vaccine passes and most vaccine mandates were dropped, and the number of people allowed to gather inside venues has increased from 100 to 200.

However, Nelson Musical Theatre president Robbie Burns believes confidence in the sector is “shot”.

“People won’t buy tickets until the last minute as they are worried events will be cancelled, and with large scale events still being cancelled the latest changes will have very little to no effect,” he says.

“Those who depend on the arts for a living are walking away from it and those who remain are taking a serious long look at a project before they commit to it.”

He says “having the goalposts shift again and again” is taking its toll.

“For the arts sector to survive Covid, Nelsonians need to get out and buy tickets, see local shows and bands. Netflix will still be there for the next lockdown.”

He says 2021 was tough with a slew of their shows, including Mary Poppins, being cancelled.

“Last year was extremely hard. I have never seen so many hours of work go into productions and to have none of them open.

“The cancellation of Mary Poppins has hit Nelson Musical Theatre extremely hard. The flow-on effect has been astronomical and led to a lot of changes in an attempt to just survive Covid.”

However, after a sell-out season of ‘Victors Victims Villains’ and plans for three more shows this year, they are hoping to get back on their feet.

Theatre Royal Nelson manager Eliane Polack says the changes won’t make a difference for them.

“As far as current mandates are concerned, raising the maximum capacity while keeping the distancing restriction results in a total possible capacity of 110 - 120 for us. For most hirers, this is not financially viable.”

She says the fallout will be felt for a “long time”.

“We have very few, if any, firm bookings for the coming months. It’s not worth it for organisers with the lead-in time and uncertainty.”

Nelson Arts Festival executive and artistic director Lydia Zanetti says that while it has been a rough time for the arts sector in Whakatū, she is looking to the 2022 festival with “practical positivity”.

“For us, changes to the rules obviously have an effect but are not the only element to consider. Are we still living in a pandemic? Yes. Are there still very real risks to people’s health within our community? Yes. The question then becomes not just what the rules are, but what we feel is a balanced approach.”

She says the community can show support by attending events and exhibitions or finding other ways to celebrate artists in the area.

“Whether that’s sharing content on social media, donating money, buying artworks, booking tickets, or telling your mates about something you’ve seen.”

Lloyd Harwood from Arts Council Nelson says the changes won’t affect them hugely.

“Probably the biggest thing is that people’s confidence will increase, and without vaccine passes a section of the community will come back again.”

Deputy mayor Judene Edgar says the recent changes are a “step in the right direction” but we need more of an idea of when the next stages are coming.

“We’ve still got smaller venues that are struggling and we know it’s incredibly hard for them. Putting on events takes lead-in time and it’ll take a while to build back shows and audiences.”