“When the Shed was inaugurated in April 2019, it was designed as an unusual sort of arts organization,” writes James Tarmy in Friday’s (7/22) Bloomberg (NYC). “The Shed wouldn’t repurpose touring exhibitions, performances, or plays. It would commission them, meaning that it would not just be a venue. It would also, at least in theory, be a cultural force,” presenting new interpretations of orchestral music, classical recitals, and opera, among other forms. “It was a grand plan set in a lavish, $475 million building…. The Shed, reeling from Covid-related cancellations, has slashed its budget, from $46 million to $26 million.… ‘If you have a fixed cost of an orchestra or a chorus—and they’re maintained, or you keep a relationship with them—when the world opens up, you don’t have to rebuild a show,’ says Douglas Clayton, a senior vice president at Arts Consulting Group. ‘But if you let all your musicians go and they have to find another way to eat for 15 months, then you have to rebuild.’ ” Shed Artistic Director Alex Poots “says that the Shed’s unique model is an asset…. ‘You can do ambitious works with a single person onstage…. They can have a transformational quality.’ ”
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