“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”
—Leonard Cohen
A year has passed since we closed The Soraya and retreated to the safety of our homes. At that time, it was beyond our far-fetched imaginings that we would still be at home one year later. Now, as vaccines become widely available, and we begin to turn our thoughts to the future, we pause to share some highlights from the past year (click here). We are proud to have reached you in the safety of your homes during the past year with our online programs, many of which exceeded 20,000 viewers.
At The Soraya, we take seriously the comfort, safety, and peace-of-mind of our patrons. We are prepared to put that front-and-center, as always, when we return. We still don’t know when we will be given the nod to re-open. We look for hope everywhere. Bowling alleys, bars, movie theaters, and nail salons are able to welcome back customers. Worship and protest alike resumed last spring when the First Amendment broke through the COVID closures. Film production, while highly regulated, has been in full swing since last summer. So too have been professional sports competitions, some with thousands of fans in the seats.
Why concerts and performances don’t qualify as peaceable assembly, and why the voices of artists are not protected as free speech is a valid question. It’s clear that there’s still some work to be done, and we are working tirelessly to ensure that live performances have their appropriate place in the re-opening sequence.
Time has seldom been so difficult to measure. Regardless, the calendar tells us that it has, in fact, been a year. A year without performances? While the unknowns continue to persist, let’s strengthen our resolve to be back in theaters as soon as is safely possible, to share an armrest with a friend or stranger, and to engage in the collective joy of live performance. We will keep you posted with progress and updates.
Gratefully,
2020–21 Virtual Highlights
We’re so happy we connected with so many of you in the safety of your homes during the past year with our online programs. Here are a few of our favorite (virtual) highlights.