As two regional theatres in Massachusetts prepare to resume socially distant performances later this summer with approval from Actors’ Equity, the union has published a landing page with guidelines and best practices for other performing organizations hoping to follow suit.
Among the resources are a previously released memo from Dr. David Michaels outlining the four core principles for ensuring a healthy theatre environment, COVID-19 testing guidelines approved by Equity’s safety experts, and a safety sheet outlining pre-production requirements moving forward.
READ: Equity Releases New Guidelines for Safely Producing Theatre
Items on the sheet include confirmation that theatre companies meet state and union protocol, as well as questions regarding socially distant staging and choreography, and sanitization-conscious design elements.
Massachusetts’ Berkshire Theatre Group and Barrington Stage Company were, as Equity says, “the first to cross the finish line” in meeting the union’s safety requirements. The former will stage Godspell outdoors, and the latter will present the monologue play Harry Clarke.
