CLAYTON, New York (WWNY) – It’s taken a couple of years, but the Clayton Opera House can say it is finally past the effects of the Covid pandemic.
The pandemic had a devastating impact on venues across New York, first by forcing them to close and then, as they reopened, those venues struggled to get audiences to return.
“We knew we were going to reopen,” Executive Director Julie Garnsey said Friday.
“2021 was kind of challenging to figure out where we would fit in that niche of still providing something for people to do but make them feel safe to come in and see a performance,” she said.
But in 2023, things are looking up. The Opera House just concluded its best summer season since the pandemic.
“It was a great feeling to see the crowds and watch them walk out happy,” Garnsey said.
What helped: ticket sales are only part of the Opera House’s income.
“We have a great patron base, were a not for profit we have patrons that donate to us every year,” Garnsey said.
The patron base helps attract crowds to the Opera House and benefits the rest of Clayton.
“Whenever they have a performance going you can tell, all downtown streets are packed and of course that’ll translate over to some of the restaurants,” said Mike Hooson, membership and marketing coordinator.
The stage is set for 2024.
“There’s a lot of people talking about what we did this year and their looking forward to what we’re going to bring in next year,” Garnsey said.
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