From the Producing Artistic Director:
We’re thrilled to again be nominated for Best Theater Company! I was also humbled to see my name on the list for Best Stage Director (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) among so many colleagues, including my dear friend Paul J. Potenza (Meteor Shower). You’ll find a number of our shows and artists nominated, take a gander at the full list of Jobsite noms on our blog and then make sure to submit your ballot!
If you or someone you know is looking for a paid creative gig this fall, we’re taking proposals for Jobsite Digital Shorts through Aug. 28. This new series has several goals: to create opportunities for un/deremployed artists while the theaters remain closed, to help center/give voice to historically marginalized populations, and to continue our unwavering commitment to artists who call the Greater Tampa Bay area home. We’re open to just about any kind of idea, please help boost the signal!
We appreciate everyone who took our on-demand survey, you still have a few days to do so if you have not. Jobsite is committed to find ways to take care of our greatest resource — our artists — through this devastating time when over two-thirds of them are completely unemployed.
I’m also thankful for the feedback on the proposed seating map I shared for when we feel it safe to re-open with distancing indoors. Even if the law says we can re-open at 50%, we can only get 26 people with proper distance in for DOUBT. As we’ve stressed: we’re in no rush to re-open but when we can we’ll start with the show sitting in the theater already bought and paid for so we can try to recuperate what is otherwise a $31,000 hit.
We estimate we’ve lost over $135,000 in revenue so far between this season and 2020-21 passes. If we’re not able to re-open this year, that figure will surely top $200,000. 55% of whatever the total is would have gone directly into the pockets of regional artists. Please be kind to the gig-workers in your life, they need you now more than ever.
In addition to explorations of on-demand content and what post-covid theater might look like, we’re exploring other options including outdoor distanced performances and the possibility of live-streaming future productions for those who — for whatever reason — will not or cannot return. Recording and streaming is an extraordinarily complicated game contractually, and film is a very different skill set from theater so it’s not like we have a large archive of past performances to mine. We would also never release a ticketed stream that doesn’t reflect the quality of the work we do in the room. Nor do we have deep pockets full of cash to throw at the equipment and personnel needed to create what you may have seen in the #HamilFilm or from National Theatre. Oh, how we wish …
I know I’ve said it before, but I don’t think any of us were prepared for the length of these closures and the havoc they would wreak on every corner of our industry. Recovery will be long and we still don’t even know when things will begin to turn a corner, and so I cannot thank you enough for your continued support. Every pass you purchase now as a vote a confidence in our return, every item you nab from our online store, every dollar you kick in helps us last this thing out just that much longer and will help ensure once we can get back to work we’ll hit the road on all cylinders.
Thank you for all you do to keep Jobsite rockin’.
-dj
David M. Jenkins (he/him/his)
Our board should reflect all corners of our community. That includes (but is certainly not limited to) finding young adults (and those young at heart) as well as members of our BIPOC and LGBT+ communities. There is no expensive “buy-in” or any expectation that you be a big-shot lawyer or banker. You simply need an hour or two a month and a love of Your Friendly Neighborhood Theater Company.
Sincerely, we want you on board. You have a seat at the table. Ask me to learn more!
