Happy 2022! As you know, the coronavirus crisis continues, caution and optimism seesaw as news of surges and vaccinations succeed each other. As a community organization, we want to be mindful of making the best possible decisions in relation to the safety and security of our audiences, performers, and production people. We are following the lead of our city, state, and federal elected officials as we implement strategies recommended by public health authorities and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for our organization.
If you’d like to join us in encouraging the vaccine-hesitant to get over that hurdle, feel free to send a pic, your fully vaccinated date and any words to be added to our VacciNation wall of honor.
This has been a hard time for theater, especially professional theaters. Chicago’s theaters, large and small, have had to cancel performances, and, sadly, some have been forced to close their doors for good. As a community theater, we are blessed with little overhead, so we’re still here and our future survival seems unproblematic. As always, we are grateful for any financial support you may wish to offer.
With our August Staged Reading, we began a transition to in-person theater with our reading of Christopher Fry’s A Phoenix Too Frequent. Current conditions decided us to take some common sense precautions: asking for all to mask except performers, spacing chairs and so forth. This August and September, we took advantage of the safer outdoor spaces with our Pop-Up Shakespeare scenes in Nichols Park. On October 29 & 30, we returned to live, in-person mainstage theater with our 12th Annual Evening of Horror & Suspense at University Church. Aligning ourselves with professional Chicago Theaters, we had in place the following precautions: masking & vaccination requirement (for non-performing Players and audience), and limiting the density of our audience. Our First Friday Staged Readings have continued in person at Augustana Lutheran Church, but are taking a hiatus in January as we give time for clarity to emerge about omicron. We hope conditions will allow us to return February 11 for The Terrie Gaia Plays.
We remain vigilant and hopeful, and we are prepared to make decisions based on current recommendations, as well as in response to changing conditions. As we have news, we will notify audiences via our website, twitter, and Facebook page, GoodNeighbors listserv and our personal e-mail list.
Happy Holidays! Here’s to a continued safe return to live theater into 2022! We are so grateful for your support of our endeavors, and wish you all good health through this challenging time.
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