Salutations™!!

Today is a sad day. Heck, this week has been a sad week, with the exception of my Sweetie’s birthday yesterday. But, with the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic being called, the markets plummeting to “near-nothingness,” sports seasons being postponed or canceled altogether, the entity(ies) that owe me money still do so, etc. It’s just been hard.

I worry about my restaurant friends and my freelancer friends and my gig-economy friends and even myself that relies on public participation to pay my bills. How long will this go on? How long with it continue? What will be left after it passes? A lot of questions to be answered. And, while I try not to talk politics, the ineffectuality of the government agencies to take care of us other than canceling everything (when it could have done more in the beginning except for a certain figurehead that just wants to wish/will it away)… here we sit. And here is the lay of the land. Bleak. It’s mighty bleak.

But, that’s not all. Staples in our communities are pulling back or flat-out canceling their events due to “an abundance of caution.” I understand and support that. But, it doesn’t make it any easier. Because of what I do, I get a lot of pressers in my inbox. And today, alone, I got three (with more most likely coming). First:

RiverRun International Film Festival

RiverRun International Film Festival is committed to the health and safety of our attendees, volunteers, staff, and community. The widespread health concern about COVID-19 is a reminder of the global nature of our daily lives and interactions. Given the latest news and the request to not convene groups over 100, we must announce the cancellation of the 2020 RiverRun International Film Festival. While we will greatly miss seeing everyone come together to celebrate the diverse global stories reflected in our films, we place a greater priority on the wellbeing of our constituents.

Once it is safe to reconvene and for our guests to travel, we hope to schedule a few mini-fests in the coming year to highlight some of the great films that were part of this year’s program. For donors and sponsors with badges and vouchers, please retain those and use them at our year-round screenings.

“The entire RiverRun team had worked tirelessly on what was shaping up to be one of our best festivals ever,” RiverRun Executive Director Rob Davis said. “We are saddened for the filmmakers and creators who we had looked forward to celebrating, but the health and safety of our community must be the priority.”

We offer two options for ticket buyers. You can request a refund through the Stevens Center Box Office, but we hope you will consider the value of your purchase as a donation to RiverRun. You can request a refund or indicate your preference to donate by contacting the Stevens Center Box Office online at boxoffice@uncsa.edu or by phone at 336-721-1945. Refunds for tickets purchased at RED Cinemas in Greensboro will be processed by the RED Cinemas box office. All requests for ticket refunds must be made by April 15.

RiverRun thanks the entire community for its support and looks forward to seeing everyone at our year-round screenings and at the 23rd RiverRun International Film Festival April 8-18, 2021.

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But, wait, there’s more…

a/perture cinema

Dear friends,

In our desire to do everything we can to keep our community healthy, a/perture cinema will be closing today Friday, March 13 through at least April 3 and until we know that it is safe to gather audiences together for the art of film. All scheduled special event programming and regular film screenings during this time are now canceled or postponed. This decision has been reached after much deliberation and in acknowledgment of a/perture cinema’s place as a community destination for film.

Despite having recently implemented increased sanitation and other precautionary measures, a/perture believes the best course of action at this time is a temporary closure. By voluntarily closing at least into April, a/perture cinema is prioritizing the health and safety of customers, staff, and the community at large, including vulnerable populations.

Public support is especially appreciated during this time and will help a/perture to reopen with minimal disruption as soon as it is acceptable to do so – memberships and financial donations will still be accepted.

a/perture cinema appreciates the community’s understanding and patience during this unprecedented time. a/perture looks forward to resuming business and welcoming customers back to the cinema upon reopening. In the meantime, please visit the a/perture cinema website for updates regarding rescheduled special events and films and follow us on Facebook and Instagram to stay connected with us while we are physically closed.

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And…

Piedmont Opera

Piedmont Opera always considers its patrons in every decision it makes, and today, it makes one that concerns your physical health. Yesterday, both North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and Allen Joines, The Mayor of Winston-Salem, advised against gatherings of more than 100 people in an effort to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus. With this in mind, we must announce that we are canceling our performances of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King and I.

As we approached this decision, we examined all other possibilities. We spoke with Concord Theatricals, who holds the performing rights to The King and I, about live streaming the production to our patrons, but permission was denied. We evaluated rescheduling the production, but it was both calendar and cost-prohibitive. We were left with no choice.

“The cast, crew and staff are so saddened with this news. So many people, from professional singers to four-year-old children were making their debut on our stage,” said Piedmont Opera’s General Director James Allbritten. “As much as our community could use the ‘shot in the arm’ that this beautiful production would have given, it cannot be at risk of our patron’s health.”

In consideration of the state’s request that organizers be lenient in their return policy, Piedmont Opera is bypassing its usual no-return policy and will offer patrons two options. We hope that you will consider turning your purchase into a donation to support the company in this most challenging time. While the production has been canceled, the company will still have to bear the sizeable cost of producing this show, as we were only days from opening. You may also request a refund or indicate your preference to donate by contacting the Piedmont Opera box office at boxoffice@piedmontopera.org. Piedmont Opera has a very small staff and requests that you use this email address only to make your request. Please be patient. All requests for refunds must be made by March 27, 2020. After March 27th, tickets will be automatically converted into donations, and the purchaser will receive a letter for a tax deduction.

Piedmont Opera wishes everyone good health and a healthy return to the vibrant arts scene here in Winston-Salem, The City of the Arts.

Such worrisome and discouraging news. Remember folks, wash your damn hands!! You can prevent the spread of COVID-19 by limited physical contact with others, washing your hands, thoroughly with real soap and warm water and wipe down your phones, remotes, keyboards, mouse, etc. Just wash your hands!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“As much as our community could use the ‘shot in the arm’ that this beautiful production would have given, it cannot be at risk of our patron’s health.” – James Allbritten, General Director, Piedmont Opera