#FairnessForArtsON / #EquitéPourLesArtsON
Reopening Recommendations for Live Performing Arts
Dear colleagues,
Live performing arts organizations within Ontario have spent almost all of 2021 locked out of venues and stages large and small, indoors and out. During this time, they have worked diligently to develop and apply detailed, customized COVID protocols, with their number one priority being the health and safety of artists, arts workers, and audiences when they are allowed.
Despite this, the continuation of inequitable provincial restrictions in Ontario’s recently announced Roadmap to Reopen unfairly limits artists, performers, and live performance workers from planning for the future, and from using their venues to safely rehearse, record, live stream and digitally capture content. These continued restrictions do not reflect regulatory fairness with other similar industries and threaten the survival of Ontario’s cultural infrastructure.
The sector has repeatedly reached out to government seeking to consult, educate and demonstrate how we work, how we can and will keep people safe, and what is at stake - economically, culturally and socially if we cannot continue to operate, even with no - or limited - audience.
Today, May 31st, in response to the absence of fairness for the live performing arts in the reopening framework and our ongoing struggle to be heard, the live performing arts sector is calling on all those who care about the future of artists, performers, and live performance workers in the Province to help us amplify our concerns.
#FairnessForArtsON is a plea for regulatory fairness and action to support our artists, performers, and arts workers that connect Ontario and Canada with extraordinary music and performing arts experiences. There are 3 key recommendations:
1. Allow artists to rehearse as soon as the stay-at-home order is lifted so they can prepare for reopening;
2. Allow artists and organizations to livestream and record in venues as soon as the stay-at-home order is lifted, since these are low-risk activities that serve the public at home;
3. Outline clear percentage-based capacities indoors and social distancing–based capacities outdoors for all steps of the plan to help organizations work on reopening.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
1. SEND A LETTER: Please make your voice heard by sending a letter to government using a pre-populated letter linked below. Ontario's live performing arts organizations depend on it.
Use our easy letter tool to share key messages HERE. For maximum impact, please take action TODAY, May 31, 2021.
2. AMPLIFY ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Use our digital toolkit HERE and tag the Premier, Ministers, MPP's, municipal leaders, and representatives using the hashtags:
#FairnessForArtsON / #EquitePourLesArtsON
#ForTheLoveOfLIVE / #PourLAmourDeLaScene
Sample copy (Twitter): I’m calling on the Ontario government to ensure regulatory fairness for the live performing arts in the Road to Reopen plan.
#FairnessForArtsON #ForTheLoveOfLIVE @fordnation @celliotability @TBayMOH @MacleodLisa
Thank you for your support and commitment to Ontario's live performing arts.
Sincerely,
Erin Benjamin
President & CEO
ebenjamin@canadianlivemusic.ca