The Major Challenges Facing The Hudson Valley Arts Industry Today
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hudson Valley arts industry was hit hard, with many venues and organizations struggling to stay afloat and open. As the world started to emerge from the pandemic and restrictions were lifted, the Hudson Valley arts scene saw a glimmer of hope, with many businesses opening up for in-person events and sales. However, the road to recovery remains uncertain with the ongoing economic challenges, inflation, and a glooming recession.
Like many regions around the United States, the challenges of owning and operating a movie theater in today’s world are far from easy. Since the pandemic started, everyone has moved from watching newly released movies in rows of chairs in front of a big screen to watching them on their TV in the comfort of their home.
“It is a big concern because people can now just sit at home and watch movies,” said Bella Lictro, the backup manager at Roosevelt Cinemas in Hyde Park, New York.
Not only has the Roosevelt Cinemas struggled to get people through the door to watch movies at the theater rather than at their own homes, but the Cinema has also had to slowly increase their prices even though they have been known throughout the community to have low ticket prices ranging from $6 to $8.50 depending on the time of the screening.
Musical theaters are having a similar issue in the Hudson Valley. It is hard to get people in the door while working around the current economic challenges of consumer behavior. The Rhinebeck Center for Performing Arts has been the center of performing arts in Rhinebeck, New York since it opened in 1998. Since the beginning, the playhouse has been dedicated to serving the community and providing arts experiences for everyone.
The Artistic and Managing Director at The CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck, Lou Trapini, when asked how COVID impacted the process of shows in the past, commented, “We had one population who was afraid to come here at all, many audience members gave flak for the masking regulations.”
Even though the world has almost wholly been free of COVID-19, many of the effects of the pandemic still linger on, affecting both people and individuals.
Although some parts of the arts industries are struggling, some are still trying to find the good in the sometimes not-so-good situations.
In the state of New York, small businesses make up around 98% of the New York State business, according to the Empire State Development. With such a significant impact on the state of New York, many small companies want to keep their prices within reach for their customers but also want to strive and stay open for their community.
“Prior to COVID, most of our business was local traffic. Post-COVID, I would say there is much more of a mix of people visiting town, combined with the locals,” says Jeff Cuiule, co-owner of Mirabai in Woodstock, New York.
For the town of Woodstock, a place where the city strives for local business, the influx of customers and the community has changed since the pandemic. With many people now flocking to new vacation spots with fewer crowds, the town of Woodstock, New York, has become a hot commodity among vacation goers. This recent influx of customers has left the small businesses of Woodstock seeing the light of what many have set to see in the darkness of the economic turmoil and post-pandemic effects.
Similarly, there has been a boost in attendance of comedy shows in the Hudson Valley area since the pandemic.
“It’s not just Laugh It Up, comedy clubs across the country are just having a lot of success because people are looking for an out and need laughter more than ever,” said Kal Getter, the Laugh It Up promoter, a popular comedy club located in Poughkeepsie, New York.
The Hudson Valley arts industry has faced significant changes over the past few years, with many businesses and organizations facing post-pandemic challenges in an unforgiving economic climate. However, there are signs of hope for the arts in the Hudson Valley as organizations adjust to new ways of operations. The future of the arts in the Hudson Valley will depend on continued support from the community. By working together, the Hudson Valley arts industry can become more vital than ever.
