The Secret Theatre says goodbye
Long Island City’s
cultural scene took a
major hit this week
as the Secret Theatre
announced it would
be closing its doors
permanently.
“We made it to 10 years, we were never
a drain on the public purse and we
created many thousands of opportunities
for actors, audiences and students to
come together to practice, watch, learn
and enjoy truly eclectic live theater,” said
Richard Mazda, the theater’s owner and
executive director.
The closure was mostly related
to financial issues stemming from
22 MAY 2 0 2 0
the COVID-19 crisis, according to
Mazda.
The theater put on productions
from Shakespeare to Charlie Brown
during its run in western Queens.
It was home to improv groups and
premieres of shows from Adam
Szymkowicz and Gideon Productions.
Broadway playwrights attended
and Broadway actors performed
on the Secret Theatre’s small stage.
While the theater itself may be closing
its doors, Mazda will continue to
offer the Secret Theatre Academy
Online. Mazda said that the teaching
staff and student body will expand
under the new circumstances.
The executive director said that the
theater’s closing is the first of many
within the arts and culture world.
“The current and continuing devastation
of the theater community
will leave people shocked once the
wheels stop spinning,” Mazda said. “I
believe that people have no idea of
the level of closures they should expect
but in our view it’s an unmitigated
disaster that has no precedent.”
Mazda went on to mention that, according
to the National Endowment
for the Arts, the arts and culture sector
of the U.S. economy adds nearly
$60 billion more than construction
and $227 billion more than transportation
to the country’s GDP.
While he hopes the economic
value of the arts and culture sector
will bring better funding to cultural
institutions, his call for help is going
unanswered, he said.
“This is a five-alarm fire and no
one is answering our distress calls,”
Mazda said.
For more information about the
theater’s online academy, visit
www.secrettheatre.com.
BY JACOB KAYE
ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
FROM
LIC
COURIER
/www.secrettheatre.com
/www.secrettheatre.com
