URI_Research_Magazine_Momentum_Fall_2020_Melissa-McCarthy

Judith Swift Professor Communication Studies and Theater

“Artists choose to work on the cutting edge of what is human and help us understand the human condition, which is all the more important when the human condition is stressed beyond measure.”

Tony Estrella, a 1993 URI graduate and an instructor of theater at the University, serves as the artistic director of Rhode Island’s venerable Sandra Feinstein- Gamm Theatre. Estrella described COVID-19’s effect as seismic and said people have yet to fully appreciate the transformative nature of the shutdowns. The Gamm has held its acting classes via video conferencing, enhanced its social media presence, offered recordings of past performances, and produced online shows that allow audiences and actors to connect through a Shakespearean scene-study. Though the content that has resulted from COVID-19 is novel, from both an economic and artistic perspective, he said the virus is potentially devastating to the industry. “We are going to need financial resources to replace ticket income and help us stay afloat until we can unfurl the sails once again,” Estrella said. “And along with that, an acknowledgment of the priceless contribution to the quality of life that the arts are responsible for.” The potency and power of live performances simply cannot be replicated. “The longing need for real human contact, for literally sharing breath and air, is fundamental,” Estrella stressed. “It cannot be replaced by the digital world. If there is a silver lining in any of this it is a reminder of that fundamental necessity.” Like the performing arts, art galleries and museums, tours, receptions, and educational outreach have

-Judith Swift

also been threatened by COVID-19. “Without programming, an art gallery is just an empty room with artwork on the walls,” said Michael Rose, the gallery manager of the prominent, 140-year-old Providence Art Club. “It requires people to activate that space with interest and camaraderie, and it requires collectors to buy art and support artists

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