A year of survival and reinvention Artists, venues and organizations persist through the dark times Arts-Barrymore-12-30-2020 The 91-year-old Barrymore Theatre will come out the other side of the pandemic, says general manager Steve Sperling. Oh, the things I learned while talking to arts folks about surviving the COVID-19 pandemic. Bill Brehm, director of the Stoughton Opera House, planted grass for the first time this spring, and was enjoying watching it grow, except under the ferns. Steve Sperling, manager of the Barrymore, is more worried about Madison restaurants than music venues. Mark Bitney, a veteran Overture stagehand, has been keeping bees, playing trumpet and recording music. Kirk Stantis, executive director of the Bartell Theatre, kicked one of the door frames at the theater in frustration, and then apologized to the building.