NH Business Review
After initial launch sputters, Shuttered Venues Operating Grants applications begin again
April 26, 2021
Ginnie Lupi, director of the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, said Covid assistance funding is needed by performance and other venues across the state.
The initial stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Chris Sununu in March 2020 required The Music Hall in Portsmouth to shutter completely. The 142-year-old theatre in downtown Portsmouth hosts concerts and performances, literary events and other entertainment. But due to the pandemic, the gathering people in large or even smaller crowds was impossible.
In 2020, The Music Hall lost about 90% of its earned revenue, said Monte Bohanan, director of communications and community engagement.