Sydney: Theatre performances, festivals and pop concerts are a no-go right now, as the coronavirus pandemic stops large public gatherings.
So, an Australian company that normally builds sets and stages has turned its skills to manufacturing goods that are in high demand during the lockdown.
Theatrical sets tower above the work floor in this Sydney warehouse.
Before the coronavirus pandemic hit, craftsmen used to build stages and sets for live events like music festivals and Formula 1 races.
But gatherings of that size are now on hold - and therefore so is a demand for the goods manufactured by 'Stagekings'.
So, now its staff are making desks for people working from home - and the business has even rebranded itself as 'Isokings'.
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'Stagekings' has an impressive back catalog - it built the stage for the 2018 Brisbane Commonwealth Games, a castle set for the Edinburgh Tattoo, the Ninja Warrior Australia television set, and a replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre for Pop Up Globe.
But on Friday 13 March, the federal government of Australia announced a ban on non-essential outdoor gatherings of more than 500 people to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stagekings claims to have lost two and a half million dollars (AUD) in upcoming work.
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Initially, Stagekings managing director, Jeremy Fleming, had to make the hard decision to dismiss 23 staff members.
"The Friday we had to tell them to leave their keys and take their tools was just horrible. It was a terrible day and we were on a real downer after that," he says.
"And to be able to turn around not even a week later, maybe four days later on a Tuesday afternoon. We went live and we sold 20 desks that afternoon."
Reorganizing his company as a furniture manufacturer is a lifeline for workers normally involved in the events industry.
Advocacy organization "I Lost My Gig Australia" surveyed workers in the sector about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and claims in March, 658,000 people had been impacted by the restrictions, amounting to over $300 million in lost income.
Its recent report suggested 96 percent of live events and entertainment businesses and sole traders surveyed are expecting financial losses to continue beyond September.
'Stagekings' has been able to re-employ all 23 staff members and has expanded the company to now employ 56 people.
"We put a call out to all the event workers we knew saying we have some delivery jobs and some sanding stuff, anyone who's interested come and joins in," says Fleming.
"We had such an amazing uptake on that. We've got festival cleaning crews, we've got site management and site workers, Sydney Opera House staff and International Convention Center, staff."
Rocio Eiras is a theatre mechanist who worked at the Sydney Opera House and for the Sydney New Year's Eve Fireworks.
"I went from being completely booked out until the rest of the year, to have nothing. From turning down work to have my schedule completely clean," she says.
She feels lucky to have found work at 'Stagekings'.
"At the beginning, I was still hanging on gigs that I had lined up for the next couple of months and then it got to a point where I was like, do you know what, I'm going to focus on what I'm doing now and be grateful that I do have a job right now," she says.
'Stagekings' is not the only Australian business that has seen an opportunity to pivot during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We've seen incredible nimbleness in manufacturing," says Tim Harcourt, an economics fellow at the University of New South Wales Business School in Sydney.
"You have all these gin makers that are now making hand sanitizer, craft brewers doing the same. Companies like Geko Systems in Ballarat that are now making ventilators when they were doing mineral processing, Detmold's in Adelaide the same thing. So, you've seen Australian manufacturers, in a matter of weeks, switch their whole production line."
According to a report released in March by the Australian Government's Productivity Commission, Australia's small domestic market, low population density and lack of proximity to many larger markets have made manufacturing offshore more economically appealing to Australian businesses, rather than making things in Australia.
But analysts including Harcourt say that may change with the long-term economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The cost-benefit of sending the work overseas has probably narrowed a lot," he says.
"And secondly, I think there is a community feeling, there is a nation-state feeling that people will pay a premium if they know they are employing their fellow Australians."
Stagekings claims that in eight weeks of manufacturing its new furniture range, it has sold over 7,000 items.
What started as desks has now grown to include other household items useful in lockdowns, such as wine racks, laptop stands, and puzzle boards.
"I don't have a lot of patience for puzzles but we put a social media post out and said is there anything anyone wants us to make and someone said I'd love a puzzle desk and nearly 100 people commented on that comment saying I want one too!" Fleming recalls.
A return to Stagekings' original staging and set building business will remain on hold for now.
"We don't think there's going to be an international artist in Australia at least until next year," Fleming says.
"Hopefully 'Stagekings' comes back soon, but until then we'll keep pushing 'Isokings'."
'Stagekings' is donating ten Australian dollars from every order to "Support Act", a charity delivering crisis relief services to artists, crew, and music workers unable to work due to ill health, injury, or mental health problems.
Stagekings hopes to expand its furniture manufacturing to New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Ireland.
(AP)
