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Cover Story
A couple takes a selfie to document their attendance at the Ricky Duran concert Sept. 18 at the Hanover
Theatre. STEVE LANAVA
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Theaters and concert halls such as Mechanics Hall and The Hanover Theatre and Conservatory for the Performing Arts have also announced that all patrons must present either proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test to enter the facility. As of this writing, the DCU Center is leaving the decision of whether to require proof of vaccination up to event promoters.
“We are still very hopeful about the season ahead,” said Lisa K. Condit, vice president of communications for The Hanover Theatre, when its protocols were announced in August.
The Hanover Theatre has a number of upcoming shows, and has now hosted Ricky Duran’s long-awaited Sept. 18 performance, which seemed to go off most successfully with the protocols in place.
Following over a year with no live, inperson performances, shows/events just in the next four to five weeks at The Hanover Theatre will include Dorrance Dance, Oct. 2 (presented by Music Worcester); Shen Yun, Oct. 16 and 17; Gordon Lightfoot, Oct. 19; “Escape to Margaritaville,” Oct. 21-24; ABBA the Concert, Oct. 26; and Gilberto Santa Rosa, Oct. 30.
Condit said, “We’ve been keeping close tabs on what other theaters and the industry are doing.” The Hanover
Mechanics Hall Hall on Main Street in Worcester. ASHLEY GREEN/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
Theatre has “a banner at the top of our home page that links to our safety protocols,” Condit said.
These include: “All patrons ages 12 and over MUST present either proof of full vaccination or negative COVID-19 test in order to enter the theatre.”
Also, “Face coverings MUST be worn at all times in all areas of the theatre, regardless of vaccination status.” For full details, visit www.thehanovertheatre.org.
The Hanover Theatre recommends, “Please plan ahead, please arrive 30-60 minutes prior to show time to allow time for vax/test screening as well as ticket scanning. In order to facilitate the flow of patrons into the theatre we recommend that you have your digital tickets printed or downloaded and ready to be
The Palladium RICK CINCLAIR/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE
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presented upon entry.”
Similarly, Mechanics Hall has announced that it expects everyone who is eligible to be fully vaccinated before entering the building.
“If you are not fully vaccinated but have tested negative for COVID-19 and variants in the last 3 days, you are allowed entry unless event-specific protocols prevent it,” Mechanics Hall states on its website.
Likewise, face coverings are required for all, regardless of vaccine status, Mechanics Hall states.
Meanwhile, “Performers are exempt from the mask regulation provided you are six feet distant from the audience. Performers without masks are reminded to practice respectful distancing from other performers.” Visit www.mechanicshall.org.
The Palladium, which has been holding outdoor shows, will begin requiring proof of full COVID-19 vaccination, or a recent negative test, in order to attend concerts there. The venue will also be following the city’s face covering restrictions.
As the ground continues to shift in terms of rules and regulations, so does interpretation of them.
Music Worcester, which will be presenting shows and concerts at The Hanover Theatre and Mechanics Hall for its 2021-22 season as well as the BrickBox Theater and other lo-
Adrien C. Finlay, executive director of Music Worcester. RICK CINCLAIR/TELEGRAM & GAZETTE FILE
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Olivia Scanlon, managing director of the BrickBox Theater, seated, conducts a tour of the theater at 20 Franklin St. for a few guests. STEVE LANAVA/T&G FILE
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cations, is going with “a threeprong approach to public health and safety right now,” said executive director, Adrien C. Finlay. Namely, “masks required, vaccination proof required, and distanced seating — until further notice,” he said. Music Worcester had just held its annual meeting last week, where most of the questions were about health and safety.
“It’s just what we have to be doing right now,” Finlay said.
Several theater companies in Greater Boston came together in the summer to announce a collective commitment to public safety as live, indoor performances resumed in the region amid concerns around the rise in COVID-19 cases in the US.
These theater companies require proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test and masks inside the theaters.
The organizations joining in this effort are: Actors’ Shakespeare Project, American Repertory Theater, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, Central Square Theater, The Front Porch Arts Collective, The Gamm Theatre, Gloucester Stage Company, Greater Boston Stage Company, The Huntington, Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Moonbox Productions, SpeakEasy Stage Company, and Wellesley Repertory Theatre. Other companies are expected to sign on in the coming weeks.
“We at The Huntington, along with our colleagues, are eager to welcome back audiences to live performances this fall, and we are prioritizing everyone’s health and well-being in order to safely reopen,” said Huntington Managing Director Michael Maso in an announcement. “These measures will provide multiple layers of protection in our theatres — it’s what our patrons want, and it’s an essential part of our broader responsibility as public-facing institutions.”
The Audience Outlook Monitor is a longitudinal survey sponsored locally by ArtsBoston and run nationally by independent consultant WolfBrown, that has been regularly providing Greater Boston arts organizations with data about audience perceptions, concerns and intentions during the pandemic.
In a round of survey data collected in August, 80% of respondents indicated that proof of vaccination would make them more likely to attend indoor events, and 50% said that proof of vaccination or negative COVID test is a prerequisite for their attendance. According to the survey, 98% of respondents reported being fully vaccinated or planning to do so.
The survey showed that news of the Delta variant has reduced audience demand to return to indoor performances right away. In the June 2021 survey, 18% of respondents said they wouldn’t attend an indoor event that week. That figure more than doubled to 39% in the recent August round of surveys. The increase reflects the rising level of concern of some audience members.
“After deep consideration on
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this topic and following the guiding principles of our Roadmap for Recovery and Resilience for Theater, we came to this decision, recognizing that the vaccines are now widely available and free,” said Mark Lunsford, ART Artistic Producer. “Along with enhanced ventilation and universal masking, vaccination and testing are critical cornerstones of our multi-layered mitigation efforts that prioritize the safety of our community of staff, audiences, and artists.”
In Providence, Trinity Repertory Company and eight other Rhode Island performance venues and organizations have formed a partnership to provide for the safety of their audiences, artists, staff and volunteers, “based on current scientific evidence and best practices around the country.”
At Trinity Rep, the requirement for vaccination or proof of a negative test applies to children attending any performance, including “A Christmas Carol.”
While these measures are setting the stage indoors, some outdoor and indoor events have been postponed or canceled out of ongoing concern about the pandemic.
In August in Worcester the annual Latin American Festival put on by CENTRO was presented as a broadcast with local acts and a performances from Puerto Rico rather than the usual all-day outdoor event behind City Hall that draws thousands of people.
Last year what would have been the 30th festival was postponed to 2021 because of the pandemic. This year, plans had been made to return the festival to behind City Hall, said Arianna Peluffo, marketing coordinator for CENTRO, a multiservice nonprofit organization that has put on the festival since 1991.
“We had booked the acts,” she said, although the event would have been smaller than usual. However, “We wanted to see how it was going,” Peluffo said of the situation with COVID. “It’s been a crazy year.”
And the outlook was not what festival organizers were hoping for.
“We saw the Delta variant kind of increasing,” Peluffo said.
Now the 30th festival will be celebrated in August 2022. “We’re calling this the 29.5 festival,” Peluffo said of last month’s alternative broadcast event.
In Sterling, the Board of Health voted not to support the Sterling Fair this year, therefore canceling the outdoor fair, which had been scheduled to begin Sept. 10.
The 21st Harvey Ball celebration planned for Oct. 1 at Polar Park to honor the Worcester Red Sox has been postponed to spring 2022, due to the resurgence of COVID cases in our area.
Also, because of concerns over COVID-19, the EcoTarium has announced that its annual gala, A Night at the Museum, scheduled for Oct. 2 will be postponed to May 7, 2022.
Still, the experience of some groups is suggesting that people are keen to get out even amid the current climate.
In July, the Worcester Chamber Music Society put on “Summer Festival Concerts: From Stream to Stage,” a series of three concerts at Trinity Lutheran Church.
WCMS’ 2020-21 season was livestreamed and virtual because of the pandemic. “Summer Festival Concerts” would serve as an initial indicator as to whether people felt comfortable crossing the border from their computer or TV screens at home to a concert hall.
“To say we were pleasantly surprised is an understatement,” said WCMS executive director Tracy Kraus. “All three concerts sold out and sold out quickly. It was clear our audi-
Worcester Chamber Music Society’s 2020-21 season was livestreamed and virtual because of the
pandemic. PROVIDED PHOTO
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