For Wollongong's Merrigong Theatre, its not easy to see they light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel.
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In a month, the theatre company has cancelled 62 shows to the end of June, refunded thousands of already sold tickets worth about half a million bucks, and lost about 80 per cent of its revenue.
"We were the first thing to be shut down around March 18, and we expect that we'll be the last thing to be brought back online," artistic director Simon Hinton said, referencing the ban on mass gatherings that has hit the arts and performance sector hard.
But - as in many areas of life - the pandemic has also brought out the best in Wollongong's close knit arts community.
In the process of refunding tickets, Mr Hinton said more than 10 per cent of patrons are choosing to donate their ticket price in lieu of a refund (Merrigong is a not-for-profit) or turn it into a voucher to be used some time in the future.
This, he said, will help the theatre to continue some of its development work - and employment - in the coming months and give it some hope of coming out the other side of the coronavirus crisis.
"We've been amazed, not just at those donations but also from speaking to patrons," Mr Hinton said
"Everyone is very supportive and understanding - everyone is hurting, but there's a really good understanding in our community that the arts matter and that people want to have access to that in the future.
"This is a very difficult time, and it's hard to imagine how we get through and what we deliver to our community, but I hope that what the public is reflecting on is that it is artistic output that is getting most of us through this - whether that's Netflix, or books, or music."
He said the theatre was coming up with ways it can keep engaging with the community through online delivery during the shut down, as well as how its eventual reopening will unfold.
"We're very aware that nothing can replace gathering people together for a live performance, so while we want to make sure we're supporting people, reaching out to artists to create important work, and reaching out to our audience so they know we still exist, we recognise the main thing everyone will be looking forward to is the reopening," Mr Hinton said.
"While we don't know what the industry is going to look like at the end of this, we will be making that as special as we can."
In another effort to support artists who have been put out of work during the pandemic, Shellharbour council has established a new round of grants.
The PosARTivity Project will give $1000 to artists, musicians or performers to develop a work that can be turned around in a short timeframe and be shown online, and will continue on an ongoing basis during the health crisis.
Already, in under two weeks, 17 artists have applied for a grant and two artists have been funded.
Shellharbour singer-songwriter Kay Proudlove will kick-off the program next week, showcasing a new song she's written based on an entry from one of her teenage diaries which details a celebrity crush and a fan letter.
She says the grant could not have come at a better time.
"All my income comes from playing music live - I usually do four or five shows a week, and all of that has gone off the table," she said.
"It's also so hard to plan for the future and the moment and normally I would spend downtime rebooking gigs, planning tours, so the good thing about the grant its that i've got this project to work on and get me out bed every day."
Her project also includes a video documenting how she's written and developed the song, which has helped her hone some new skills she wouldn't have the time to work on in pre-coronavirus life.
The program will begin on April 21, and will continue every Tuesday for as long as the project remains relevant.
The council is looking for projects that artists can present online and turn around within a week, so that the work is commensurate with the $1000 fee.
"We want artists to be paid appropriately for the work they are developing, the council said.
"Submissions do not have to be perfect, or even complete, think of this as a chance to challenge yourself to think outside the box and push yourself creatively against a short timeframe."
The pitches must contain some sort of "call to respond", the council says, as it is looking to engage the community in a practice of creativity.
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Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
