Coronavirus Latest: With Scene Dark, Theatre Philadelphia Launches Emergency Relief Fund To Help Workers During Pandemic
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia's theater community is coming together to help their own who have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
"I think what I miss most is physical connection," Director Gabi Sanchez said. "There's something about sharing a space with an audience, there's something about sharing a space with creators."
The theater scene in the city is now dark, and all of its workers are out of the spotlight and unemployed.
"It's kind of devastating as an artist," actor Taysha Canales said. "You get really excited about the work and to not be able to share it with people is hard to deal with."
Coronavirus Latest: What You Need To Know And Staying Connected
Thousands of theater workers have been out of work since mid-March.
To help them, Theatre Philadelphia launched its Emergency Relief Fund. So far, they've raised $200,000 to help workers -- 97% of theater workers have been impacted by this.
"People are having trouble getting access to unemployment whether they're a gig worker or not, which is the other is why we wanted to bring in all theater workers and not just artists and performers," Theatre Philadelphia Marketing Manager Katherin Clark said.
"The fact that that fund exists, I am extremely grateful for, but I'm also not surprised," sound designer Dan Ison said.
The group says theater workers could lose up to 50% of their income because of the pandemic.
While the show will still eventually go on again, some are questioning what audiences will look like in a post-pandemic world.
"Entertainment, itself, is going to be hit hard until people feel comfortable enough that they'll be in a healthy, safe, clean environment," actor Akeem Davis said.
Grants will begin to go out on Monday. For more information, click here.
