SUBMITTED BY STEVEN ARNOLD | THE GARFIELD CENTER FOR THE ARTS
The Garfield Center for the Arts at the Prince Theatre is pleased and excited to announce it will fully reopen for live, in-house audiences starting with their annual Short Attention Span Theatre opening July 23. A yearly tradition, SAST was produced last year for an online audience only. All remaining productions and programs for 2021 are also being planned as live, in-house presentations, including Clue: On Stage in September/October and Shrek The Musical in December and any music or other events that will appear on their stage. Tickets for SAST are already available for online purchase. The GCA will not begin staffing the Box Office until early July, so it is strongly recommended that ticket buyers should visit www.garfieldcenter.org to purchase tickets for SAST.
For public safety, The Garfield Center has issued the following set of policies and protocols for patron attendance in 2021:
GCA’s Covid Reopening Public Safety Policies
The Garfield Center for the Arts is passionately committed to the safety of its patrons, volunteers and staff. The GCA thanks you for your understanding and support!
THE GARFIELD CENTER FOR THE ARTS’ COMMITMENT:
Common areas (bathrooms, box office, concessions, etc) will be cleaned and sanitized prior to the building opening to the public before each performance.
Plexiglass will be in place at the Box Office and Concessions windows.
House seating armrests will be sanitized before each performance.
Hand sanitizer will be available in multiple locations, with an emphasis on the bathrooms, box office, concessions and on dedicated tables just inside the house area and in the balcony.
Patron social distancing will be emphasized in seating configurations, with the use of clustered seat sections, separated from one another, of various seat counts. Similar seating clusters will be created in the balcony by taping off sections of seats (signage will announce which seats are unavailable). Capacity limits, as determined by clustered seating, will be determined in advance of each season program.
Due to onstage proximity and activities, actors will be expected to be fully vaccinated prior to any involvement in a production. Controlled rehearsal rules for the cast and crew will emphasize performer safety, possibly including (but not limited to): participant temperature checks, adherence to cleanliness and sanitation guidelines, the controlled use of PPE (if necessary and for a particular reason), etc.
All production crew volunteers, house staff, box office personnel and GCA staff who are present will wear masks while in the building for performances.
WHAT THE GCA ASKS FOR FROM THE PUBLIC:
If you are not fully vaccinated, the GCA asks that you continue to wear a mask unless actively enjoying food or drinks. In accordance with State of Maryland mandates, masks are not required for guests who are fully vaccinated, but the GCA encourages the use of masks by all patrons for the safety of other members of the audience.
FINALLY:
The GCA’s policies and procedures are subject to change based on any new mandates, regulations and/or recommendations from Kent County, the State of Maryland, the Federal Government and/or the CDC (Centers for Disease Control). The GCA also reserves the right to make decisions based on the needs of our organization and staff.
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