COVID-19 Update: April 1, 2020: Hanging Tough

The short-term news is tough: wapo.st/2X1qHcW.

But there are signs that sheltering at home works: tinyurl.com/rf3au9.

In New York, Arthur Ashe Stadium is being converted into a hospital: tinyurl.com/wr87t5z.

Questions abound about how quickly audiences will bounce back: tinyurl.com/qmbkh7n.

Work has halted on the MSG Sphere project in Las Vegas: tinyurl.com/yx4y66wc.

Broadway national tours remain in limbo: tinyurl.com/vuyp8cj.

The Kennedy Center, in Washington, DC, has furloughed half its administrative staff: tinyurl.com/txkvgxu.

Despite the fact that the Kennedy Center provides hundreds of jobs in the DC area, some members of Congress think this is the ideal time to strip it of funding: tinyurl.com/vqobfxj.

While New York's art groups struggle to see the way forward: tinyurl.com/tsresze.

Off Broadway's Lucille Lortel Awards will continue on a revised schedule: tinyurl.com/vrfls6u.

New York film and theatre critic William Wolf has passed away: tinyurl.com/r46jyjz.

New mobilizations:

Las Vegas Sands Corp. is providing a second substantial wave of medical equipment donations to protect health care professionals and first responders. The resort company announced Tuesday that Nevada and New York will receive 1 million surgical masks each and that Nevada's health care industry also will get 20,000 protective suits: bit.ly/2UAObDO.

Companies continue to help customers hone their skills:

ADJ is hosting a series of "Stay Connected" educational live videos: bit.ly/2WWdYYZ.

Adamson has launched a biweekly webinar series: tinyurl.com/udj3px4.

Ayrton introduces its "boredom buster" plan: bit.ly/2xIFgHr.

d&b audiotechnik global segment manager for live and entertainment venues Michael Kinzel will be chatting to DJ and composer Paul Nolan on Instagram Live at 16:00 GMT [11:00am ET] Thursday, April 2. Kinzel and Nolan will discuss everything from how d&b Soundscape is changing DJing and live performance, and how artists can interact with Soundscape directly on stage. There will also be an opportunity for viewers to ask their audio questions. Join in by following @dbaudiotechnik_gmbh

Fulcum Acoustics notes that this is the ideal time to learn EASE Focus 3, the acoustic simulation program used for 3D modeling to set up a sound system. It is free to download at bit.ly/2V6ocn9. Fulcrum Acoustic has made all of the GLL files for its loudspeakers available on the support page of its website: bit.ly/3bGgTJb. The EASE Focus 3 features web page offers a step-by-step process to help get you started using the program: bit.ly/341Zyb1.

The Illuminating Engineering Society has released a video interview titled The Impact of COVID-19 on Lighting Professionals: tinyurl.com/to8u99h.

JBL's next seminar, Audio Challenges in Esports, will take place April 9: bit.ly/3aGfiDq.

Martin Audio has a series of weekly seminars planned: martin-audio.com/training.

Martin by Harman will launch a new product on April 15: bit.ly/2xB0gjv.

Powersoft is offering additional training: tinyurl.com/rex4zo7.

Cancellations and postponements:

Berkshire Theatre Group will start its season in August: tinyurl.com/ukanbwx.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival has been cancelled: tinyurl.com/qltfrua.

The rest of Hamilton's San Francisco run has been cancelled: tinyurl.com/smw8skk.

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival has cancelled its season: tinyurl.com/uukzns9.

ZACH Theatre in Austin, Texas has been forced to furlough 75% of employees to temper the loss in revenue. Furloughed employees will continue to receive 100% of their current health benefits from the organization. Remaining staff will work on reduced salaries with leadership taking the largest cut, preparing for the return of programming this summer and producing virtual content to connect with the community until performances resume.

And Justin Bieber has cancelled his 2020 dates: tinyurl.com/txfwbrc.

And for your entertainment pleasure:

Broadway.com, with producers Eric Kuhn and Justin Mikita, will present a live reading of Terrence McNally's Lips Together, Teeth Apart on Monday, April 6, 2020, at 8:00pm EDT. Benefitting the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS' COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund, the livestream will be dedicated to McNally, who passed away on March 24, due to coronavirus complications. Viewers can watch on www.Broadway.com/ and its www.Facebook.com/Broadway/ and www.youtube.com/user/Broadwaycom YouTube channels: shorturl.at/djxy1.

The GRAMMY Museum announces its next round of free digital content from its archive. The Public Programs digital series features interviews with artists and musicians. To be added through the month are interviews with Billie Eilish and Finneas, Kool and the Gang, Andrea Bocelli, Tanya Tucker, Common, Richard Marx, and many more. The museum also offers digital education content and lesson plans along with daily playlists: www.grammymuseum.org.

JK Rowling has launched Harry Potter at Home, a digital hub designed to keep your kids amused: tinyurl.com/tbgnbr9.

Opera America has an excellent list of streaming performances: tinyurl.com/wnfbfdh.

The Show Must Go On....Show debuts today at 7:00pm on YouTube. Hosted by co-creators Howie Michael Smith and Andy Truschinski, each episode will feature a musical performance and talks with experts and artists about coping with the coronavirus pandemic through creativity. The first episode will feature Brian Stokes Mitchell (Tony Award winner Kiss Me Kate), Dr. Anthony Weiner MD, artists and curators Bob and Jill Whitney Armstrong, and meditation expert Minita Gandhi. Each episode will feature a charity and provide information on where to donate. The April 7th episode will feature The Actors Fund. Each episode will be 15 minutes: showmustgoonshow.com/.

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