Theatre 29 proudly welcomes back live in-person audiences beginning October 1. Entertainment Reporter Charlie Thomas details how they plan to keep their patrons and volunteers protected…
After a pandemic fueled shutdown of sixteen months, Theatre 29 is welcoming back audiences with new performances and new protections to help ensure that fond memories are the only thing audiences leave the theatre with.
The all-volunteer community theatre in Twentynine Palms worked to remain active during the course of the pandemic, whether it was through zoom board meetings to keep abreast of the latest information and strategize for the future to virtual performances including their very first live streamed improvisational comedy show and their first streaming of a stage musical, “Songs for a New World” in April.
Charles Harvey, Vice-President of the Board of Directors and the organization’s Pandemic Response Manager, says that the changes to help keep patrons, performers and staff safe are evident when you first open the door. “We enhanced the lobby and the bathrooms to provide touchless infrastructure, such as a free-standing hand sanitizer station next the temperature check booth. Touchless soap and towel dispensers in the bathrooms to reduce surfaces touched. The whole box office counter is enclosed with almost ceiling high plexiglass barriers to reduce person to person contact.”
In keeping with wider area practices for live performance venues and with local case load figures in mind, Theatre 29 is requiring proof of full vaccination for all patrons and participants or proof of a recent negative COVID test within 72 hours of admittance as well as mandating face mask wearing for all, regardless of vaccination status, as advised by the CDC and State of California guidelines. “We had hoped to be able to allow a little more freedom when it came to masking, but the Delta variant had other plans,” Harvey said, “Our prime focus is the health and well being of everyone who comes through our doors. Considering that those vaccinated in our area are still in the minority, we are doing everything we can to keep spread at bay.”
Those procedures include a beefed-up cleaning regimen, requiring disinfection of all publicly touches surfaces prior to each show and also after new audiences leave. The infrastructure investment in hand sanitizer units, soap and paper towel dispensers help to minimize touched surface issues. Inside the theatre itself, the concessions area also sports plexiglass to keep concessioners and the public protected from air particle distribution. While concessions at the theatre have always been individually wrapped, food and drink will not be allowed to be consumed in the auditorium. For that reason, a patio area adjacent to the building has been built where people can eat and drink and get some fresh air preshow and at intermission. “We are calling it the ‘Mountain View Patio’”, Harvey says. Food and beverage can also be enjoyed in the front reflection garden on the Eastern corner of the building.
All public surfaces are sanitized through a combination of disinfection cleaning products and UV light exposure. In the auditorium, they are using a ULV high spread fogger system that will cleanse the air inside the building nightly. As Covid-19 has been proven to linger as air droplets that increase spread, this process mitigates the virus in the air as well as enhanced HVAC filtration and air refresh rate increases which exchange the inside air with fresh outside air on an increased frequency. The cleaning agent used in the fogger is a naturally occurring, non-chemical agent trusted by hospitals and the airline industry to clean the air and porous surfaces like seat fabric.
Backstage, all performers and stage crew will be either masked when awaiting their on-stage appearances or utilizing a face shield in the case of those who require specialty makeup. In the case of the cast and crew of the upcoming production of “A Gentleman’s Guide To Love And Murder”, everyone is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. While performing, they are allowed to remove the masking, but will redon it once off stage. On Stage will observe the same cleaning regimen as in the auditorium.
With the new processes, enhanced cleaning, air disinfection and masking requirements, partnered with temperature checks at the door, they are hopeful that audiences will feel comfortable to take a seat and enjoy a show that they have been missing for a year and a half.
“A Gentleman’s Guide To Love and Murder” will play October 1-24. Tickets are available now at theatre29.org or by calling 760-361-4151. The musical will be followed by “A Christmas Carol, the Musical” November 19 – December 12
