Luther Burbank Center reopens box office, announces new live shows including John Cleese, Chicago

After standing dark for nearly 16 months during the coronavirus pandemic, with its main theater’s more than 1,600 seats empty, Santa Rosa’s Luther Burbank Center is ready to let the sunshine in.

The center’s box office reopens Tuesday for center members, and tickets go on sale June 11 to the general public for the first wave of 25 new live, in-person shows at full capacity, starting in late August and running through the middle of next year.

Highlights include classic rock ensemble Chicago on Sept. 4, country music star Josh Turner on Sept. 24, drag queen Bianco Del Rio on Oct. 2, “America’s Got Talent” comic/mime Tape Face on Oct. 12, contemporary Christian music star Amy Grant on Oct. 15 and “Monty Python” comedian and actor John Cleese on Oct. 19.

Shows booked so far continue through June 10, 2022, when the Alonzo King LINES Ballet will perform.

For a complete list of shows and ticket prices, visit lutherburbankcenter.org or call 707-546-3600. Starting next week, in-person box office hours at the center will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.

“This is the first time since the shutdown that the box office will be open to the public on site,” said Anita Wiglesworth, the center’s program director.

“We have also 11 shows that were already on sale and have been rescheduled. This will allow those ticket buyers the opportunity to ask questions or resolve any issues in person,” Wiglesworth said.

The first live concert this year will be the rescheduled Symphony Pops performance of the Elton John Tribute “Remember When Rock was Young” on Aug. 29.

Rick Nowlin, Luther Burbank Center president and CEO, estimated that the pandemic shutdown cost the center $4.7 million last year in lost income from ticket sales, space rentals and contributions they would have had otherwise. But the center has been able to compensate in other ways, he said.

“We reduced expenses by $1 million in staffing costs, $2 million in performer fees and $1.3 in operating expenses, but it took a toll on our organization, obviously,” Nowlin said. “We had some very loyal and generous donors online, and we’re appreciative.”

The center’s operating budget before the pandemic was $11 million for the 2019 fiscal year.

Staffing has been halved at the center from 75 full-time and part-time workers before shutdown to 35 now. The center will be building up its staff again during the summer, he added.

Luther Burbank Center received two federal Payroll Protection Program loans during the pandemic, the first for $650,000 and the second for $750,000, which helped retain nearly half the pre-pandemic staff.

“The challenge financially will be bringing back staff, but it maybe several months before the community comes back to the center,” Nowlin said.

The Luther Burbank Center sent out a survey to more 50,000 of its patrons asking when they’d be most comfortable attending live in-person shows again.

“Of those who responded, 70% said they’d be ready to come out to the center by fall,” Nowlin said.

The center will follow state and local guidelines for reopening and will be tracking policy changes.

“Due to the rapidly changing guidelines from the state, we are unable to guarantee what the exact protocols may be by the end of August,” the center said in a news release.

“Patrons should expect changes in health and safety protocols. The most restrictive may be the requirement to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination or negative COVID-19 test result, and when not eating or drinking, wearing a mask,” the statement continued.

Check the center’s website for changes in safety protocol.

Luther Burbank Center will add safety measures including increased ventilation and air filtration, enhanced cleaning and sanitization, options for a touchless experience and limited concessions until guidelines change.

During the pandemic shutdown, the Luther Burbank Center has presented online programming, including more than 60 episodes of the weekly “Luther Locals” series devoted to Sonoma County performers.

“‘Luther Locals’ will be scaled back. We’ll still present it virtually once a month starting in July,” Wiglesworth said. “We don’t want to forget these local performers. We want to bring them back for in-person performances.”

The “Let’s Be Creative” series of art lessons is still currently offering programs once a week.

The center presented a nearly sold-out series of drive-in classic movies from mid-June to late August last year and began the series again in mid-April, encountering lower attendance this year.

“We’ll evaluate how it’s doing each week,” Wiglesworth said.

Although it’s difficult predict exactly how reopening will go, the center’s leadership are optimistic.

“We appreciate the community’ s support during this time,” Nowlin said, “and we look forward to welcoming audiences back into our facility in the fall.”

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5243. On Twitter @danarts.