Venues such as The Comedy Studio are turning to online streaming as a means of survival through the remaining covid restrictions period. — Photos courtesy of The Comedy Studio

By Timothy Kaplowitz

As COVID-19 vaccination rates rise in Massachusetts, many of the state’s live performance venues are finally eyeing reopening after over a year of closure. While indoor venues elsewhere in Massachusetts begin to reopen, Somerville’s local government has taken a more cautious approach, barring indoor performances, and restricting some forms of outdoor performance that involve high rates of aerosol projection.

Rick Jenkins, owner of The Comedy Studio in Somerville, says the pandemic has placed his business in an increasingly precarious position. Over the past year The Comedy Studio has received aid from Somerville, the State of Massachusetts, and the Federal Government.

While this aid allowed Jenkins to retain his staff for much of the pandemic, in January, facing drastically reduced revenue, he was forced to furlough the theater staff in an effort to reduce expenses. Jenkins has already outfitted The Comedy Studio with plexiglass barriers and reduced seating in an effort to make the space safer. Despite these retro-fittings, The City of Somerville has yet to give the green light on indoor performances.

Across the Charles, Norm Laviolette, owner of comedy venues Laugh Boston and Improv Asylum, has already begun to host in-person shows at 50% capacity. Despite a sell-out crowd the weekend of Improv Asylum’s re-opening, Laviolette fears for the long-term health of his business. “The reality of the ‘fifty percent open’ is that you can’t sustain on that. You can get your businesses started, and that’s what we’re doing. But none of these businesses are going to be able to survive in the long haul at fifty percent.”

The pandemic has forced both Jenkins and Laviolette, two multi-decade veterans of the Greater Boston comedy scene, to drastically shift their businesses towards online content. Zoom was a radical new format for stand-up comedians, demanding a shift in both their presentation and material. Jenkins explains, “The material is becoming a lot more personal and a lot more intimate. A lot less ‘jokey.’ You’re looking in the eyes of your audience in the little boxes. There’s no ‘blinded by the lights’, it’s very clear you’re talking to someone.”

Laviolette plans to stream shows at his venues even after the pandemic. “We’re gonna be offering online streaming tickets for almost every show that we sell there. And that’s great, because now you take your 300-seat club. Well, now it’s a 500-seat club, or 1000 seat club.”

Though Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone is sympathetic to local business owners, he is also well aware of the grave ramifications of the ongoing pandemic. “I’m acutely aware there are financial impacts,” Curtatone explained, “but I’m also the person who gets the phone calls when 84 people die in my community. We will not do anything to put people’s lives at stake.”

Towards this end, the Mayor’s Office has doubled down on making outdoor dining and performance spaces more accessible: waiving $750,000 in permit fees, and removing almost all financial barriers to make the outdoors more accessible to Somerville business owners.

Though the future of Somerville’s indoor performance venues remains uncertain, outdoor comedy has a bright future. On April 12 a spokesperson for the city wrote: “As of 4/19, comedy performances will be allowed outdoors. Indoor comedy performances are currently not allowed in Somerville due to the continued high covid case rate in Greater Boston and the Commonwealth and the higher risk of indoor activities.”

In challenging times, Laviolette believes the arts are essential. “It’s the artists that help us get through psychologically, right? They’re needed. It’s not a ‘nice-to’, it’s a ‘need-to.’ So, remember that. Remember that’s what got us through the dark days, so let’s go out and let’s support them as better days are ahead.”

The Comedy Studio is located in Bow Market in Somerville, information about their shows is available at thecomedystudio.com.

Laugh Boston is located in the Seaport District, information about their shows is available at laughboston.com.

Improv Asylum is located in the North End, information about their shows is available at improvasylum.com.