![]() ![]() “It became so much work to leave the house now, it was just a greater mental and emotional physical task during COVID. “I was at the point where I’d kind of given up on live music,” he admits. Abdurraqib, who handpicked the likes of Moses Sumney, Bartees Strange, Devonté Hynes, and L’Rain to perform as part of BAM’s spring 2022 music series, said that curating the lineup helped him rediscover his love of live events. The unpredictability of the virus may be causing problems for the theater industry, but the deep desire of people to resume some semblance of their normal lives also has fueled the popularity of BAM’s programs. “Cyrano” canceled a show, but it was for a non-COVID related reason. BAM also saw its audience shrink in the winter when cases of coronavirus surged, but it somehow managed to never miss a performance due to outbreaks. It was a state of affairs that was exacerbated by the Omicron variant and scores of cancelled performances after cast members got COVID. Revenues for the 2021 to 2022 season were down more than 50% from the last, pre-pandemic season. They also note that several shows, like those with American drag cabaret duo Kiki & Herb and “Mood Room,” a dance-based exploration of Reaganism, actually added performances based on sales.īAM’s upswing comes as Broadway ticket sales remain in the doldrums. And that diversity of programming allows us to reflect the diversity of this borough.”īAM didn’t provide data about its overall ticket sales, but leaders say its capacity percentages were slightly better than the previous year. ![]() ![]() That’s because the programming is doing lots of different things. “We were consistently sold out this season and more often than not had a standby line. “BAM isn’t just for one audience,” says David Binder, BAM’s artistic director. Throw in performances by comic Hannah Gadsby and music great Mavis Staples, and talks with the likes of “The 1619 Project” author Nikole Hannah-Jones and Spike Lee, and you have all the makings of a boffo few months of theater, art and culture. These range from “Sun & Sea,” a theatrical installation that transformed one of BAM’s venues into a crowded beach, to a selection of music programming that was curated by cultural critic and poet Hanif Abdurraqib. The secret, BAM leaders say, is the variety of the programming on offer. In contrast, 31% of ticket buyers in BAM’s previous season were new to the venue. Some 48% of ticket buyers were first-time visitors to BAM. More impressive than the records that BAM broke for buzzy shows such as “Cyrano,” the hot West End transfer that featured James McAvoy in the title role, is the fact that the arts venue was able to appeal to crowds who had never been to the complex before. At a time when live theater and events have struggled to shake off the COVID malaise, the Brooklyn Academy of Music has had one of its most successful seasons ever. ![]()
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