Live Theater During a Pandemic: Part III "Safety Plan"

The producers at Hale and their staff held meetings early on to discuss how things would look once the theater reopened. They met with the Salt Lake Health Dept, local officials and got feedback from their employees (actors, designers, creative teams, technicians) on what would be included in the safety plan. It was a bumpy start. And quite a few people left their positions for various reasons. But, it was made clear from the producers and staff that no one would be penalized based on their decision to leave. The motivation for those that left were mainly that they did not feel the timing was right and that it was an unsafe work environment. Or there were those that were high risk or lived with someone who was high risk. And those that belonged to their respective unions and were unable to continue employment due to union restrictions. 

We received regular emails updating us on the protocols and safety measures. And then the day came, once the local officials determined that gatherings of up to 3000 people shoulder to shoulder was doable as long as they were wearing a mask, the Hale was given the go ahead to reopen. (FYI: The Centre Stage seats up to 911 and the Jewel Box Stage is a 467 seat capacity) We all read and signed a document that we were in agreement with the safety plan and our part in it. 

Now, I will take you through a typical night at the theater and what that looks like...

When the crew arrives they are required to wear a mask the whole time they are in the building. They have their temperature taken at security. We use a no contact, scanner type thermometer that only the security personnel touch. They sign us in. The person checking in is asked, "Do you have any symptoms?" And they answer accordingly. If they do not have a temperature or symptoms they can go inside the theater. If they do have a temperature but no symptoms, they are asked to stand aside for a minute. (sometimes the thermometer glitches or someone may be hot coming in from the summer heat or gym) Then they take their temperature again. If they check out a second time then they can go in. If they do not they have to go home and get tested for COVID-19 before they can return to the theater. Once inside they are required to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds. They then have a health check list that includes sanitizing the set, props, costumes, stations, and any contact areas. They use a variety of methods: sanitizing spray, wipes, and a UV Sanitizing light on harder to clean surfaces like velvet. This checklist also applies post-show.

The ushers out in the house are required to wear masks, get their temperature taken, and then sanitize any contact areas before and after the show in house. There are no concessions except free ice water at intermission that you have to drink before theater re-entry. If you are a patron you are required to wear your mask the whole time you are in the building.

When the actors arrive the interior doors are open so we have less contact with surfaces. There are circles that are marked 6 feet apart when we have to stand in line for temperatures, and wigs. We are required to wear a mask at all times while backstage. We have the same temperature protocol as the crew. We clock in and out using an app on our phone provided by the theater. We wash our hands once we arrive in our dressing room. We are spaced out 6 feet a part (at least) in the dressing rooms. The green room is not a gathering place at present. We are asked to stay in our dressing rooms unless we need to go to the green room for water refills, or to use the fridge or eat a meal. There are marks on the floor of the green room that are 6 feet apart so we can eat at that social distance. There are hand sanitizer dispensers in easy access areas right off stage and near the wig station, and dressing rooms for quick sanitation, and then we are asked to wash our hands regularly when we have breaks throughout the night as the show is going on. Especially when we have had any human contact or surface contact. 

In the dressing room we can remove our masks to put on our make-up. We are required to wear them around the crew, especially the wig and costume crew as we are in close proximity to them. They have ditty bags with our names on a pocket right off each side of the stage so we can remove our mask as we enter and then put it immediately back on when we exit. Some actors put them in their pockets or other areas of their costumes where they are not visible as they go on stage and then put them back on when offstage. 

The cast and crew also made an agreement that outside of the theater we would be wise in limiting our day to day exposure. For my part, I shop only when necessary and always wear my mask in public. I make it a rule to not greet people after the show. I made one exception to this when a close family member attended. I look at what we have on our social calendar and whittle it down to the bare minimum. Another blessing in disguise is that most of us were double cast so naturally we are in the theater less days of the week and if someone does get sick, we have our double or an understudy that can go on. 

Other precautions and protocol that have been implemented: No meals are provided for the actors and crew. Snacks or treats are allowed to share if they are prepackaged. The theater upgraded their filtration system in their cooling and heating units for further protection. They will offer to pay any out of pocket expense if we need to get a COVID-19 test. They have staggered show times between the two theaters in the building so audience gatherings aren't as large. There is no intermingling between the cast that performs on the Centre Stage and the Jewel Box Stage. There is an open door policy and we can talk to the producers or staff at any time about our concerns and they also have a link where we can submit any concerns or suggestions if we wish to remain anonymous. If there are any changes we would like to make to blocking or intimate moments on stage we are free to make those changes as they are communicated to the director, stage manager and fellow actors. We are blocked for the most part at a safe distance from the audience. Masks for crew and cast are provided by the theater. I wear my own mask to the theater (pictured above) and once I arrive I put on my show mask and then they wash it for me after every performance. 

The audiences have been amazing about keeping their masks on. They choose to be there and understand that in order for us to continue to bring them live theater they have to wear the mask. Sometimes they might bring it down to take in a deep breath, but they have been so good about wearing the masks. If they need to step outside to take a break an usher will assist them. Ushers also have been great about keeping an eye out for those that wear the mask incorrectly and will address the patron and ask that they make the appropriate adjustment. The theater is kept several degrees cooler than normal so that mask wearing is a bit more tolerable. One thing that we were grateful for, especially in the beginning of the run when the case numbers spiked here in Utah is that the audience numbers were smaller. We never sold at full capacity and this gave the audience a chance to spread out if they wished and it was good for the actor's piece of mind. 

Utah has a great track record so far of contact tracing. We had a few cast and crew members that tested positive. In all cases (I think there were four total between both the Mary Poppins and Bright Star cast and crew. Thankfully all four individuals have recovered.) the origin of where they caught the virus was from a family member. Because of contact tracing Bright Star did not have to close down. But, with Mary Poppins they determined that it would be the best solution to close down for two weeks and get everyone tested and quarantined. This caused a big stir in the theater community, it even made local news! And people were demanding it just close its doors. But in actuality the Hale was following the correct protocol. They did everything according to the safety plan and worked closely with local health officials on each case. There has been a learning curve and they continue to improve on their communication and tweaking those things necessary to make improvements. 

I just want to take a moment and spotlight the box office employees. It is a HUGE endeavor to refund tickets or reschedule dates for the shows that were canceled. The box office staff is AMAZING! And our audiences are so patient as we figure everything out. 

Things were rocky at times but new things were implemented as we saw a need. Once Mary Poppins came back from quarantine we had things down pretty well and soon all the procedures just felt like part of our routine. When Bright Star closed on August 15th, we had had approximately 40,000 people that came through to see both shows and so far from the time they opened in late June, early July, not one COVID-19 case has yet to be tracked back to the theater as the place of origin. Not a bad start...not to say that in the future we may have someone catch it at the theater, but if all these precautions are being taken and everyone is doing their part the chances are pretty slim.