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San Antonio actor R.C. Thor, known for playing Daddy Warbucks in the musical Annie, dies at 83
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San Antonio actor R.C. Thor’s first portrayal of Daddy Warbucks was in a Circle Arts Theatre production of “Annie” in which CaRisa Miller played the title role. Thor died Wednesday.Courtesy CaRisa Miller /Courtesy CaRisa MillerShow MoreShow Less
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R.C. Thor, photographed at the Woodlawn Theatre in 2015, died Wednesday.Edward A. Ornelas /San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less
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R.C. Thor (left) wih his husband Gary Ozuna, who organized a tribute show for him in 2015.Edward A. Ornelas /San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less
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Ayala: For San Antonio arts groups, normal didn t include everyone, and a new normal might not either
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It’s impossible to imagine getting through the coronavirus pandemic without arts and culture.
Movies, music, literature, visual art, spoken word and dance have gotten us through some tough times. They’ve kept us company, helped us cope, lessened the isolation.
Yet for as much as arts and cultural groups, and individual artists themselves, have contributed to the city’s identity and vibrancy, the relationship hasn’t been reciprocal.
Before the coronavirus struck, the city was an arts, culture and historic landmark destination. Cultural tourism was part of the city’s ethos.
UTSA project helps families, clinicians transition autism therapy to telehealth services
UTSA faculty train over 40 clinicians through project
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SAN ANTONIO – A University of Texas at San Antonio project is helping autism therapy transition to telehealth by training clinicians as the need for the service has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“One of the things we’ve been investigating since 2013 really was telehealth and how we can use telehealth to expand services, to augment services and to really just improve overall what we’re doing for the community,” said Leslie Neely, associate professor of educational psychology at UTSA.
Last year, clinicians at the Autism Treatment Center were trained on telehealth by UTSA faculty from the Department of Educational Psychology.
A city’s culture is its life and soul. A city’s culture is its story. But the pandemic drastically impacted the viability of creative industries and overall cultural vibrancy in cities around the world, including San Antonio.
Lockdowns to prevent the spread of COVID-19 resulted in closures or curtailed operations at museums, art galleries, theaters, music venues, restaurants and historical sites; caused the cancellation of local cultural events; and prevented in-person arts education and other hands-on experiences.
Lost jobs and other economic uncertainties meant less discretionary income for outings and experiences, and a devastating dip in cultural tourism, which in turn jeopardize the livelihoods of artists, cultural institutions and organizations, and individuals working in San Antonio’s arts and culture and hospitality sectors.
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2020 was a dismal year for movie theaters. Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, the domestic box office plummeted 80% from 2019, as theatergoers stayed home in droves, opting to watch programs and movies on streaming platforms like Disney Plus, Netflix, and Amazon Prime.
Locally, San Antonio-based Santikos Enterprises also felt the pinch, despite being open since May with COVID-19 safety measures such as weekly virus testing for employees, and advanced hygiene and sanitization methods at its theaters. A normal year of revenue would have been about $110 to $115 million dollars, according to CEO Tim Handren. Last year’s take was only about a quarter of that. Not only is that bad for keeping the business open, but it also meant no profits were funneled into the San Antonio Area Foundation, which Santikos contributes to per the directive of the cinema chain’s late owner, John L. Santikos.