Update: As of December 16, 2020, London placed Tier 3 restrictions. Nimax Theatres announced that they are suspending performances at all of their theatres until January 8, 2021, due to the restrictions.
On Saturday, December 5, the cast and crew of Six the Musical in London’s West End reopened to an audience at half capacity due to government restrictions and safety protocols surrounding COVID. Their Instagram account posted a curtain call in celebration of successfully reopening the show since it’s closure earlier this year due to the pandemic.
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Although there are joy and celebration from their audience and followers online, the partially empty theatre is a reminder that we are still in a pandemic. It brings into question, outside of the steps the Nimax Theatres has put into place, which includes face masks, contactless ticketing, and limited capacity, what additional safety measures are in place and how successful they will be in keeping the cast and crew safe?
We need theatre, theatre is important. Art enriches our lives and provides us with a moment of comfort when there is nowhere to go, but at what cost? Don’t be confused. No one is going to sit here and lie and pretend like they are perfect. Here is hoping we are past the part of the pandemic where we constantly judge the choices that are being made based on the little we see or know. No one has been without fault and every mistake has varying degrees of costs. Some we get away with, others not so much.
COVID doesn’t leave you alone when you’re eating at a restaurant. COVID does not respect boundaries, plans, or families. A negative test today does not guarantee that you’ll remain negative the next. It simply means that at that time it could not be detected. Every contact we make with the outside, we are at risk. COVID is outside, y’all and there are people out here literally raw dogging the air while others quarantine their mail and wash their groceries. I am “others”.
The worst part is that we have choices to make. If we can’t do our jobs if we cannot perform, how do we pay rent, mortgages, feed ourselves, and our families? Not to mention the mental health toll on a community without art and a world where we are only able to come together through a device.
…all of this we already know. So, for now, we make a choice and ask ourselves if it’s worth it. Only hindsight will tell.
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