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The future.
That’s what the Mass Cultural Council s announcement earlier this month that a total of $842,000 in Cultural Facilities Fund grants will go to nine area Cape Cod and Islands organizations means to the groups struggling to figure out what’s next after the shutdowns and losses of the pandemic.
“I’ve said all along that if we got this grant, we can just keep going, said Janine Perry, producing artistic director at Cape Rep Theatre in Brewster, where work is due to wrap up next month on the restoration of the exterior of the century-old Crosby Barn.
That building will become the company’s second indoor performance space, but the inside of the barn is now empty. With the $190,000 facilities grant which must be matched through fundraising, so it becomes almost $400,000 Cape Rep officials can take a big step toward finishing the overall $2.3 million project. The restoration was also recently supported by $400,000 in town Community Development funds.
David Currier was excited when he learned of Gov. Charlie Baker s announcement Monday that almost all COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted as of May 29. “It’s another step towards normalcy,” he said. “It can t not help business.”
Currier owns The Alley Bowling and BBQ in Orleans, where limited capacity, mask enforcement and social distancing requirements were challenges last summer at the 11,000-square-foot building on Route 6A.
“The less restrictions the better,” Currier said of Baker s new plan, though he and other business and restaurant owners, along with staffers at entertainment venues, know there are still challenges ahead. As Monday s announcement reverberated through the industries gearing up for a busy Cape Cod season, leaders were trying to figure out what changes to make, and how fast to make them, as the restrictions drop on Memorial Day weekend – the unofficial start of summer.
The summer entertainment season on Cape Cod and the Islands is coming into sharper focus, as a film festival, a concert series and a theater company all announced plans in the past few days.
And good news for people with cabin fever due to COVID-19 restrictions: More of the events may be live than you might think.
For the first time, the Nantucket Film Festival will expand to 11 days, with a hybrid format June 17 through 28 that will include drive-in screenings, what’s described as “intimate garden screenings and conversations” and access to online movies. Festival passes go on sale April 1, with streaming passes and a full schedule available in May.