Fluxing Sandy

Photo by Heather Cohn. Pictured: Becky Byers, August Schulenburg. Post by August Schulenburg.

Becky Byers is not about to enter into the most realistic yet wildly play-inappropriate set ever. No, she is about enter into my living room, our impromptu post-Sandy rehearsal space this week. Flux lost three rehearsal days, and would have lost more if not for the support of Richard Mazda and The Secret Theatre, and the willingness of Becky, Marnie, Adam and Chester to travel to unexpected places to rehearse.

We, of course, got off very, very lucky. While each rehearsal is precious, we’re at the beginning of our process. Many of our sister companies were in the process of teching, opening or running shows, and several short runs may have been lost entirely. Amanda Feldman, Sean Williams and other members of the Community Dish and League of Independent Theaters have shown great leadership in mobilizing the Indie Theatre community to help those in need: Contact Amanda at amanda@neighborhoodproductions.org if you want to help. The wonderful folks at New York Innovative Theatre Awards are also keeping a running list of how Sandy has affected Indie Theatres. A.R.T./New York is taking a survey of the impact from affected theatres, and ArtsReady has a comprehensive list of recovery resources.

The negative impact on theatres cannot be considered independently of the devastation in places like Breezy Point, and the stories of personal tragedy everywhere Sandy touched. Donations can be made to the American Red Cross and Time Out New York  has an awesome “How to Help in New York City” page.

A certain stark clarity is one of the few silver linings of such adversity. We are reminded of what, where and who matters to us most. All of us in Flux wish a speedy recovery to those impacted by Sandy; and that we may all find our way back to doing the things we love, with and for the people that matter most, in those places we call home.