Stages need people. Audience banks need people. Backstages need people. Sound and light booths need people. Box offices need people. Without people. it’s just not the same.

As COVID rages on, our stages – and the seats that face them – remain empty. They are hurting, they are dying, and they need our help to survive. And, it turns out, we need them to survive, too. And, so do the people who have devoted their lives to giving us those experiences. They are hurting twice. First, they don’t get to do what they were born to do, from actors and dancers to set designers and crew. Secondly, they don’t know how they’re going to pay their bills, feed their families and prepare for the future.

To illustrate this, The Biscuit commissioned Charlotte photographer, Heather Liebler, to bring her lens to six of the empty stages of our city – the McGlohon Theater, the Knight Theater, Theatre Charlotte, the Neighborhood Theatre, the theater at Northwest School of the Arts, and the Sandra Levine Theatre at Queens University. We asked Heather to capture the perspective of both the audience member and the performer. We also asked the men and women who manage these stages to speak for them.

What resulted was a haunting and breathtaking collection of images that reveal the beauty of these spaces and the sadness of our current moment. Moreover, we hope these images stir up something inside of you as they did with us – a memory, a realization of how fundamental these stages are to our lives, and an urgent call to action to save them.

The Save Our Stages Act

Please support the Save Our Stages Act by going to www.saveourstages.com and voicing your support for funding that will help venues cover costs incurred during the pandemic – and survive to the other side of it.

Neighborhood Theatre

Address: 511 E 36th St, Charlotte, NC 28205
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM 

Statement from Neighborhood Theatre

“My name is John Brady, I’m the production manager at Neighborhood Theatre. That’s not just a job title, that’s my career, my livelihood and part of my identity. I’m not unique. Everyone involved in putting on shows can say the same thing. COVID-19 has completely disrupted Charlotte venues and has put a lot of people out of work. We’re all passionate to save our stages and keep the live music community alive.”

John Brady
Production Manager/Lead Sound Engineer
MaxxMusic/Neighborhood Theatre

The Current State of Their Stage: 

Side Note: Neighborhood Theatre’s stage is currently being rebuilt and they have collaborated with local visual artists to create works of art on pieces of the old stage. Those pieces will be up for auction beginning September 17 to help raise funds for the theatre. Learn more about the art auction here.

Theatre Charlotte

Address: 501 Queens Rd, Charlotte, NC 28207
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Statement from Theatre Charlotte

“Theatre Charlotte may be physically closed, but we remain ‘virtually’ active and look forward to sharing live theatre experiences with our audiences and volunteers. There is no experience like the theatre experience.”

Ron Law
Executive Director
Theatre Charlotte

The Current State of Their Stage: 

Side Note: The set from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof still stands on Theatre Charlotte’s stage, although due to COVID-19, no one in Charlotte was able to witness the production.

Northwest School of the Arts

Address: 1415 Beatties Ford Rd, Charlotte, NC 28216
WEBSITE

Statement from Northwest School of the Arts

“The auditorium at Northwest School of the Arts, seen here, was built in 2015. In March, we were two weeks away from opening our Spring musical Anything Goes. Usually, this stage would house three musicals, three dance concerts, one large masterwork from our music department in the fall, and countless performances from our choirs, band, orchestra and piano students during the school year.”

Donald Nagel
Arts Director
Northwest School of the Arts

The Current State of Their Stage: 

Sandra Levine Theatre at Queens University

Address: 2319 Wellesley Ave, Charlotte, NC 28207
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Statement from the Sarah Belk Gambrell Center for Arts & Civic Engagement

“On a snowy evening in February, we celebrated the grand opening of Sandra Levine Theatre with a performance by Broadway star Sutton Foster. We closed our doors shortly thereafter. Now more than ever, we need the social cohesion and connectedness made possible through live performance. I look forward to celebrating those vibrational moments of real-time creativity and resilience once again — and to the memories made on stage and in the audience.” 

Sara Henley
Director
Sarah Belk Gambrell Center for the Arts and Civic Engagement

The Current State of Their Stage: 

Blumenthal Performing Arts Stages

McGlohon Theater at Spirit Square

Address: 345 N College St, Charlotte, NC 28202
WEBSITE

Statement from Blumenthal Performing Arts

“The State of Our Stages at Blumenthal Performing Arts is a heartbreaking one. While our local stages are freshly painted and ready for live performances of all types, they are empty. The halls are bare, the theaters are dark and the ghost lights are on. The laughter and applause are missing, the staff has gone home. The silence of the McGlohon is deafening, the spectacle has disappeared from the Knight. We are waiting to welcome you back.”

Joe Hunsaker
Event Manager
Blumenthal Performing Arts

The Current State of Their Stage:

Knight Theater

Address: 345 N College St, Charlotte, NC 28202
WEBSITE

The Current State of Their Stage: