The Kelowna Actors Studio is calling for all central Okanagan businesses to receive the same COVID-19 restrictions or assistance to reach the end of the pandemic.
Credit: SUBMITTED/Kelowna Actors Studio
November 28, 2021 – 3:25 p.m
The Kelowna Actors Studio co-founder is calling for a level playing field for businesses trying to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Executive producer Nathan Flavel has been trying to keep the performing arts alive in the community, but with ongoing capacity constraints and federal funding drying up, he’s not sure that’s possible.
“They continued the restrictions and took away the funding, that’s the hardest part to get our head around,” Flavel said.
With financial support from the government, Flavel was able to meet the rental and staffing costs.
“When they announced the opening of restrictions in October, it wasn’t clear that areas weren’t included, and the Okanagan was one of them,” Flavel said.
The team was in the middle of a December production as Interior Health continued restrictions on indoor gatherings.
This will continue, confirmed Interior Health.
“Nothing has changed in the regional regulations. Regional restrictions are being reviewed with the provincial health officer,” Interior Health said in a written statement. “Cases, test positivity, outbreaks, vaccination rates and hospital occupancy all play a role in decisions about regional restrictions.”
Flavel asks why it’s safer for a person to fly to a larger city, attend an event, and fly back to the Central Okanagan than to go downtown to see a local theater.
“We have been very supportive of all health regulations and abided by the rules. We just don’t understand the reasons for it, there doesn’t seem to be a goalpost, it just keeps moving,” Flavel said. “We are being told we cannot do our business and the government is not on our side to help us. That seems wrong to me.”
The ongoing restrictions are having a significant impact on Flavel’s ability to do business, and now he’s unsure whether Kelowna Actors Studio can make it to the end of the pandemic.
“The bills don’t go away, I can’t pay my employees, the money will eventually dry up,” Flavel said.
Right now, Flavel and his team are doing everything they can to bring theater to Kelowna, with a Christmas show to an audience half the size of the venue.
“If they don’t open us, the season comes back in January or February, it’s touch and go. Each month is, ‘Can we generate enough revenue to keep the company afloat?’” Flavel said.
To get to this point in the pandemic, the Kelowna Actors Studio is now hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, and the only way to recover is by offering shows.
“Theater can recover and we have a plan to recover,” Flavel said.
The recovery plan is to slowly ease restrictions and return to a regular season.
“We’re not getting that notice now. Everything is more expensive, so that was a big mistake for us when we realized how much more it costs to do everything,” Flavel said. “At some point we have to say enough is enough and limit our losses.”
Flavel is urging provincial leaders to pressure the health department to ease restrictions and urging the federal government to fund organizations committed to closure.
“Either level the playing field and make it transparent what the goal is so we’re all playing in the same game. It’s really tough coming so close to the finish line and getting stuck in the rain. We deserve to cross the finish line like everyone else,” said Flavel.
Flavel employs approximately 25 people, eight of whom are full-time employees.
“If Actors Studio ends, we will lose an important player in the cultural scene. It would be really sad to see so much passion and a family go under,” Flavel said.
Flavel uses the risk of financial ruin to keep the performing arts in Kelowna, believing it is essential to a mature community.
“We heard a lot from locals. When we had to call and refund tickets, people were blown away,” Flavel said. “We have solid relationships with the community. The community wants us here, we know that. That’s our passion, we’ve always done it.”
The Kelowna Actors Studio is not only a meeting place for residents, but also acts as a safe space for youth in the community.
“We have hundreds of kids who go through our programs and it’s their safe place, this is their home, this is where they can be themselves and not be bullied, it’s a completely different world for them,” Flavel said.
“Taking that away would be like taking hockey away from the community. You just can’t. It is important. It’s ingrained in who we are,” he said.
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