The Save our Stages Act created the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program to provide funding to independent live venues, museums and theaters significantly affected by the pandemic. The program allocated grants to more than 220 Minnesota venues including the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, West Theatre and Duluth Playhouse. The grants provide financial support to help keep venues afloat, pay employees and preserve live entertainment.

"These stages were among the first to close and now are among the last to open. Why? Because you can't stand in a mosh pit in the middle of a pandemic," Klobuchar said. "But we wanted to make sure that these venues don't disappear."

The Save Our Stages act was led by Sen. John Cornyn of Texas and Klobuchar. She said it was one of the most bipartisan acts she'd worked on as more and more sponsors joined the bill.

"These venues would talk to their members and encourage them to support this bill," Klobuchar said. "Everywhere from country and western bars to zoos to small theaters made this happen. So then we wanted to make sure that this funding went out to those places who needed it most, to these smaller venues."

"We're so happy to see a lot of business returning to the DECC, but we have to hire a lot of staff right now, and that comes with a lot of dollars attached to it," Hartman said. "We had less than 20 or so staff during the pandemic, and now we need to bring it back up to around 300-400. Grants like this are instrumental to that process."

West Theatre owner Bob Boone said he was impressed with the attention to detail in the program, which provided specific funding for venues which had just recently opened.

"We opened at the worst possible timing, right before the pandemic," Boone said. "But they had language specifically crafted for just-opened theaters to make sure we didn't fall into the cracks. I was ever so grateful to just not have to go into debt through this timeframe."

Boone said his business is not yet back to normal but that the funding will "help get our bankers and financers to bear with us a while while we continue on."

Duluth Playhouse Executive Director Wes Drummond said the funding and support from both the grant and the Playhouse's patrons helped them weather the storm.

"This pandemic had the potential to decimate our theater community," Drummond said. "Now we're excited to say that live theater is back and we're getting ready to open 'Spamalot' soon."