|
An Important Update from the Artistic Director
- Options for one and all! -
Dear Friends,
Patrons, Volunteers, and Artists,
It’s been a while
since my last update, and I hope you all had a good
summer! Re-opening the Theatre this year has been a daunting
challenge, but we’ve managed to do so; and despite the truly
staggering list of difficulties that we’ve faced, and continue to
face, there is an equal measure of joy now that we’re back on stage
and bringing you great theatre.
As I have
continually stated in this series of Updates throughout the pandemic
and beyond, our attendance policies as they relate to COVID, may
change at any time. After much consideration of numerous
factors, we have decided to somewhat relax the Masks Required policy
for audience members. I have looked at what the rest of the field (and
world in general) is doing; I have listened to people on both sides
of the “mask issue”; I have looked at the lower infection rates; I
have considered the newly relaxed recommendations of our unions and
the CDC, and I have scrutinized how our current policy is affecting
attendance. As of now, we will be implementing a solution that I
hope will offer a sensible and more widely appealing policy that
still provides a level of comfort for those who remain concerned
about indoor theatre-going.
On Tuesday and
Wednesday nights and Saturday and Sunday matinees, audience members
will be required to wear masks when they enter the Theatre. On
Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, wearing masks
will now be optional.
This may mean
that you’ll want to switch your tickets from one performance to
another to accommodate your personal preference regarding the issue
of “to wear a mask or to not wear a mask.” I apologize in
advance for any inconvenience this may cause, but it is a small
inconvenience in the greater scheme of things. There is no policy
that will make every single person happy in every single way. I
also want to stress that this is something we are going to try for
now, as the next step in this long journey, and our policy may change
again. For now, this seems like a solution that will make
most people comfortable and provide our patrons with viable options
for attending theatre in a way that suits each individual’s personal
needs or desires.
In addition to
this notice, and the announcement of this policy change on our
website, our Box Office staff will be reaching out by phone to all
subscribers and ticket buyers for The Caretaker that might be
affected by this policy change to ensure that everyone is apprised of
it, and to help switch tickets to another performance if need
be. Please be kind to them, they are there to help you, and if
you are annoyed by this change, take it out on me, not them.
Lastly, I will be
very frank and let you know that we are having a very tough time. Our
audience numbers are still not back in full force – not even close –
and that is going to have serious repercussions going
forward. Every theater in America is experiencing the same dire
problem. We are all doing our very best to give you the gift of
great theatre again, but it takes two to tango, and you, our audience
are our partner in this “dance.” We need you back, we want you back, and we miss
you! A fully masked audience provides a very safe theatre-going
experience, and we will have four shows a week that give you that
opportunity. For those who prefer to not wear a mask, we now
also have four Optional Mask performances weekly. I yearn for the day
when this is all a non-issue, but for now, I hope this new policy
works. I beg your patience, I beg for you to not miss our
upcoming productions, and I look forward to seeing you at our
beautiful theatre!
|
