Santa Barbara’s concert halls, stages and galleries have been dark for the past 14 months, but that doesn’t mean the city’s creative class has been hibernating.
Artists and administrators alike have been actively reassessing their missions, asking whether their offerings truly reflect, and genuinely serve, their community.
As pandemic restrictions lift, the fruits of those internal debates are beginning to emerge. Some of our most prestigious producers and presenters are taking meaningful steps to diversify their offerings, notably by incorporating more work by women and artists of color into their upcoming schedules.
That is not to say they are abandoning the classics.
The coming cultural season in Santa Barbara will feature major works by two mainstream masters: Richard Wagner and Vincent Van Gogh.
But reflecting the rethinking of norms that followed last summer’s killing of George Floyd, those established European artists will be joined by less-familiar names from different cultural traditions.
“We needed a pandemic to get a little bit out of our comfort zone,” said Nir Kabaretti, music and artistic director of the Santa Barbara Symphony.
In its online offerings during the pandemic, the orchestra presented an unusual number of local musicians, and played a number of works that were not written by white men. Both trends will continue during the in-person season that begins in the fall.
“For me, this is an opportunity to make a fresh start,” said Kostis Protopapas, general director of Opera Santa Barbara. “I’m not interested in going back. I’m interested in where the future is.
“Some traditional structures we were locked into were not serving us very well. This is the time to reinvent the model so we can better fulfill our artistic mission, reach more people and generate more excitement.”
Perhaps the most striking manifestation of this new direction will take place at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, which is completing a $50 million renovation project. When the institution fully reopens in late summer, patrons will immediately see a difference in emphasis, according to director and CEO Larry Feinberg.
“On the ground floor, where in the past we’ve had Greco-Roman sculpture, we’re going to include some of our African art collection and pre-Columbian art collection in the court as well,” he said. “That will send a strong message. We’re also putting some of our masterpieces of Chinese art on the first floor, so there will be quite a range of period, cultures and nationalities represented.
“Even before the pandemic, our mission was focused on diversity. We’ve sort of doubled down. We’re increasing the diversity of the works we’re acquiring for the collection, and also the works that we present. The staff and the board have really taken this to heart.”
UCSB Arts & Lectures did not wait for the theaters to reopen to respond to last summer’s calls for social justice. Its 2020-21 season, mostly confined to online presentations, included talks by various writers and artists on racism and its effects.
Its follow-up initiative, Creating Hope, got underway this month and will continue into next season. It will feature “thought leaders, creative problem solvers and arts visionaries,” programming manager Caitlin O’Hara said.
Like Arts & Lectures, the Ensemble Theatre Company was already addressing racial inequities before the pandemic hit. When stages shut down last March, the troupe was about to start rehearsals on the play “American Son,” which deals with the tragic reverberations of an encounter between a young black man and a police officer.
That drama, which Kerry Washington brought to Broadway, will now be presented next April. Before that, in January and February, the company plans to present a large musical with an all-Black cast.
Like “American Son,” the work had already been on the schedule before last summer’s protests.
“We had internal discussions as to what changes we needed to make, if any,” artistic director Jonathan Fox said. “But I think Ensemble has always endeavored to tell the stories of various communities, address relevant topics, and doing mixed-ethnicity casting. Our intention is to continue.
“Now, are we representing the Latino community? We’ve tried to make inroads for years, with representation both on our stage and on our board. We’ve had some success, but we haven’t yet pulled it off.”
All of the organizations report they’re in decent financial shape, thanks to generous donors and, in many cases, loans from the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program.
But their plans for resuming operations vary widely, with many not coming back until the fall.
O’Hara of UCSB Arts & Lectures called 2021-22 “a transition year to get us all back in the theater.” She reported that “we are working with the county and the university as well as with artists, agents and theaters to create a season that is flexible and responds to reopening guidelines that seem to change from one day to the next.”
Community Arts Music Association (CAMA), which brings touring orchestras and soloists to the Granada Theatre and the Lobero Theatre, won’t begin its season until January, since few if any classical ensembles will be on the road before then.
It does plan to present an internationally acclaimed chamber orchestra in the Lobero in October as a special, non-subscription event — “a way to say we’re back,” board member Steve Cloud said.
More immediately, a number of organizations are getting a head start.
PCPA Theaterfest plans to stage two shows this summer at the outdoor Solvang Festival Theatre.
The Music Academy of the West, which was all-virtual last year, plans a shortened, six-week festival beginning June 28. It will include “a limited number of in-person events,” with others being livestreamed.
But first out of the gate will be Opera Santa Barbara, which will present an abridged version of “Das Rheingold,” the first opera of Wagner’s “Ring Cycle,” on June 27 in the Lobero Theatre. The fully staged production will feature digital projections and a scaled-down orchestra of 18 players.
“Somebody has got to start,” Protopapas said. “We’ve known how to do this for a year. The guidelines are set.”
He expects to perform for 250 to 300 people, or a little less than half of the theater’s capacity. Patrons will be expected to show proof of vaccination (an issue other organizations are grappling with).
“We are looking at what is reasonable and safe — and what dangers patrons are willing to accept,” he said. “But we also don’t want to make it extremely cumbersome.”
For the season that starts in the fall, “we are taking a conservative approach,” Protopapas added. “Instead of our traditional three large operas, we’re planning four smaller ones. We’ll resume large productions in the Granada in June 2022. We’ll be doing some very interesting things that I’m very excited about. It will be much more diverse.
”We’ll also not be selling subscriptions. Everything will be a la carte.”
The emphasis at the newly renovated Santa Barbara Museum of Art will be on showing off its permanent collection.
But the museum has a blockbuster touring exhibit lined up for early next year, “Through Vincent’s Eyes: Van Gogh and His Sources.” Running Feb. 27 through May 22, it will feature paintings by the Dutch post-impressionist master and a number of artists who influenced him, including Monet, Gauguin and Degas.
Similarly familiar names will turn up on the Santa Barbara Symphony’s programs — along with others you might not recognize. Conductor Nir Kabaretti said he is working diligently to find the right mix.
“A lot happened in the world in the last year — not just the pandemic,” he noted. “Being inclusive was not unimportant to us before, but we realized that we need to do more.”
— Tom Jacobs is a local freelance writer who covers the arts. Contact him at news@noozhawk.com.