Thursday June 25, 2020
FREE
Volume 65 | Number 43
www.DesertMobileHomeNews.com
CELEBRATING THE RESIDENTIAL PARK COMMUNITIES FOR 65 YEARS
Alliance of Desert Theatres connects producing companies during pandemic
W
ith concerns about how the coronavirus pandemic will affect the performing arts community in the Coachella Valley, and beyond, a new group has formed. Six local, producing theatre companies have created the Alliance of Desert Theatres. Its mission statement reads: A cooperative of producing theatre companies that network and take action in order to advocate for and nurture a vibrant performing arts community. The Alliance started with a Zoom call. Since that first virtual meeting the group, which consists primarily of the theatres’ artistic directors, senior management, and business representatives, has created several working committees, shared information and ideas about bulk purchasing power, co-op advertising, health regulations, and other important updates, as the coronavirus information is a moving target. At the forefront of the discussions are how to open live performing arts venues safely and how theatre companies can continue to enrich people’s lives. All theatres are awaiting state and county guidelines, which they expect will include information about social distancing, wearing masks and sanitation. With Coachella Valley theatres located in five different cities and with auditoriums ranging in seating capacity from 80-208, individual theatres may have hyper-local
regulations to comply with as well. Some area companies must also reinvent themselves under policies currently being established by the Actors’ Equity Association. These regulations will likely focus on the health and safety of its members. The theatre companies currently participating in the Alliance are: Coachella Valley Repertory, Desert Ensemble Theatre Company, Desert Theatreworks, Dezart Performs, Green Room Theatre and Palm Canyon Theatre. These theatres are all nonprofit organizations that rely heavily on donations, grants, fundraisers and ticket sales to break even each year. Since the pandemic, some theatres have reached out to donors independently or held virtual fundraisers, knowing the current economic climate is volatile. Although much is unknown
summoned eight of his fellow military officers to Julia’s house, where he conducted a service for the bird.
• It’s not every day that a man in love demonstrates his affection by holding a funeral, but future president Ulysses S. Grant wasn’t every man. When his future wife Julia’s pet canary died, he painstakingly fashioned a small coffin for it, which he painted yellow, then
• During the Great Fire of New Orleans in 1788, priests refused to allow church bells to be rung as fire alarms because it was Good Friday. As a result, 856 buildings burned during the conflagration. • Babe Ruth once said he knew he didn’t swing hard enough if “a little poop didn’t come out.”
about the reopening of venues and events, including theatre productions, local producing companies are still creating and planning for the future. Some companies are producing online performances and concerts. Some theatres are anticipating a fall reopen, while others are planning for January 2021. No matter the speculated date, which will ultimately be determined by health and government regulations, production royalties must be paid in advance for the number of potential ticket sales per performance – a difficult number to commit to with capacity policies unknown. Auditions and casting must still take place in order to secure performers and begin preproduction such as costuming. Many of the valley’s theatres stopped mid-production or ceased to open a readied production, so their stages remain as they were when stay-at-home orders were announced in mid-March. With these images in mind, the Alliance is discussing ways to get the word out to patrons that the local stages await the return of their audiences. The group continues to make itself known and welcomes other area producing theatres, including those in the Hi Desert, to join. Individuals or businesses interested in supporting the local performing arts community are encouraged to donate directly to their beloved Coachella Valley theatres.
In This Issue
Senior News Line.................................2 Jewish Family Services Reopen...........3 Veterans Post.......................................5 Flag Day Watermelon Feta Salad.........8
1. ASTRONOMY: How often does the Sun rotate on its axis? 2. GEOGRAPHY: What is the state capital of Delaware? 3. GOVERNMENT: Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution limits presidents to two terms in office? 4. HISTORY: What was the highest social class in the early Roman empire? 5. ENTERTAINERS: Which 20th-century actress was born with the name Lucille LeSueur? 6. TELEVISION: What were the names of Elly May’s two pet chimpanzees in “The Beverly Hillbillies”? 7. ART: Which artist painted “The Persistence of Memory”? 8. MOVIES: What kind of gun did Clint Eastwood carry in the “Dirty Harry” series? 9. MUSIC: Which singer-songwriter’s nickname was “The Lizard King”? 10. FOOD & DRINK: What is the most expensive spice on earth? © 2020 King Features Synd., Inc. ANSWER TO TRIVIA ON PAGE 6
• August Rodin’s work “The Age of Bronze” was so realistic that some people thought he’d actually sacrificed a real person inside the cast.
quite like Byron before), he not only found a bear to keep as a pet, but also took it for walks around the grounds on a leash.
• English poet Lord Byron was a student at Cambridge University when he took issue with the ban on keeping dogs as pets, so he came up with a unique way of getting back at the school: Since there was no prohibition in the fine print against bears on campus (probably because they’d never had a pupil
• Despite being raised and identifying as Jewish, singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen spent five years in seclusion at the Mt. Baldy Zen Center in California and was ordained a Buddhist monk in 1996. (c) 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.