There's a reason why many arts-industry leaders felt they weren't given a fair shake last November when public performances were banned due to the pandemic.

And it's reflected in an anecdote involving the Chor Leoni Men's Choir.

It planned to put on Translucence: An Immersive Light and Sound Experience in the massive grand ballroom of the Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel in December.

This gigantic room has a seating capacity of 1,350 but only 50 people would have been gathered there for this event. That was due to the previous attendance limits before the outright ban on public events.

So there would have been a great opportunity for physical distancing.

That's not all. There also weren't going to be any performers at the Chor Leoni multimedia presentation because the music would be piped in. But that didn't prevent its cancellation even though at that time, people could still visit the bar and the restaurant in the same hotel.

Donna Spencer, artistic director of the Firehall Arts Centre, is part of a group of arts-industry officials trying to create a more level playing field for their sector when the province decides to loosen COVID-19 restrictions.

In a phone interview with the Straight, Spencer said that it was "a bit of a shock" when they learned that the ban on public events last November applied to their operations whereas so many other sectors remained open.

"There was no clear explanation as to why we were closing and other businesses weren't," Spencer said. "We all thought briefly it didn't apply to us because we were businesses."

The ad hoc working group is not aligned with any specific arts-service organization. It involves people who operate professional performing arts venues and cinemas, some of which have liquor licences and many of which are nonprofit.

Spencer emphasized the importance of only reopening when it's healthy to do so. She noted that cultural organizations have no desire to jeopardize the health of staff, performers, or patrons.

At the end of March, nearly three dozen people in the group joined a Zoom meeting with the provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, Labour Minister Harry Bains, and Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport Minister Melanie Mark.

According to Spencer, Henry spoke positively about her enjoyment of the arts and acknowledged how this sector was suffering.

"This is not her exact wording by any means, but her inference for closing us wasn't that we were unsafe, but they were really trying to keep people home," Spencer said.

She added that she doesn't think that when this occurred, there was a sense of how much impact this would have on the economy, employment, and people's emotional health.

"I personally would rather go see a show than go to a bar for my emotional health," Spencer said.

Openings could come in May or June

According to a blog post on the B.C. Alliance for Arts + Culture website, Henry acknowledged at the meeting that there could be a "gradual allowance for gatherings" of up to 50 people, beginning in May or June.

Moreover, Henry stated that gatherings could be possible in summer for seated outdoor events, with a "return to normal gatherings indoors" happening progressively throughout the fall.

Spencer said that the next step is for the heads of organizations across the province to speak to their mayors and chambers of commerce.

In some communities, COVID-19 rates were very low through winter, yet the arts still seemed to face unequal treatment.

"Caravan Farm Theatre [in Armstrong] wanted to do a sleigh ride where patrons could buy tickets... There were no actors involved," Spencer said. "It was all audio and they would go to destinations.

"They were told they couldn't do it when the local ski hill was operating a sleigh ride at the same time."

Meanwhile in Vancouver, Théâtre la Seizième wasn't allowed to proceed with an installation at the PuSh Festival because it was deemed to be a theatrical activity.

"There was a lot of vagueness, I think," Spencer said. "I understand why it was happening because we were in a pandemic and dealing with things we’ve never done before [or] had to deal with before."

But she's hoping that by bringing the industry's case before Henry, it will heighten the likelihood that arts organizations will be treated like businesses in future pandemics.

"We are important parts of our community and there needs to be a way to address what we do in the same way public health was working with the restaurants and the bars and the gyms and all the other places," Spencer said.