Dear Friends,
It’s the middle of March, and it’s hard to believe that it’s been a whole year since the world was turned upside down.
Last March 12, as we were working in our offices, amidst the swirl of news of cancellations of sports events and Broadway shows, word came down that venues like MPAC could no longer operate for fear of spread of COVID. Classes were cancelled, and the group slated to perform that evening, A Cappella Live, was asked to reschedule for a later date.
Several weeks of shows were postponed, and within days, our administrative staff began working from home, but we all expected to see each other in a couple of weeks.
This March 12, while there is still no definite date as to when we can return to full capacity events, we believe there is much hope that the light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to shine brighter.
As vaccinations continue and restrictions slowly begin to ease, we are hopeful that we can be back to full capacity events sometime this year. The good news is that there is probably no venue in New Jersey more prepared for increased capacity than MPAC. We are a leader among venues when it comes to safely staging live events in a COVID world. Since we began staging live events capped at 150 patrons in October, we’ve made the necessary infrastructure improvements and learned valuable lessons vital to presenting the exceptional experiences you are used to in a manner that is safe and secure for patrons, performers, volunteers and staff.
This month, we welcomed back limited in-person Performing Arts School. And, we will soon be announcing an exciting lineup of summer drive-in concerts and events scheduled for the 2021-2022 season. Many have moved from this season and are already on sale and can be viewed on our website.
During this past year, MPAC never wavered from our commitment to make the arts a vital part of your lives, especially at a time we all needed to be connected. Through virtual arts, livestreams, drive-in concerts, Zoom classes and limited capacity concerts, MPAC strived to connect our community in ways we never would have imagined on March 11, 2020.
While we miss seeing you in person, we feel connected to you more than ever as your home for the arts. We thank you for your support during this crisis. We are incredibly grateful to our members and donors for supporting us when we needed you the most. You have truly helped us as we continue to navigate through a very difficult period.
The road back to recovery is not going to be easy. While our current concerts and classes serve our mission, our financial recovery could take several years. But we remain confident that MPAC will continue to be at the heart of arts and entertainment in Morris County now and into the future.
On behalf of the staff and Board of MPAC, we thank you for your continued support and look forward with great anticipation to the return of exciting and memorable live sold-out events.
Sincerely,
Allison Larena
MPAC President & CEO
