Heather Curtis
MONTGOMERY COUNTY (WMAL) – You may soon have to mask up indoors in Montgomery County again, but some local theaters are hoping for an exception for performers while they’re on stage.
Thursday the Montgomery County Council sitting as the board of health will decide whether to automatically put an indoor mask mandate in place if the county moves from the current level of moderate community transmission of COVID-19 to substantial based on new cases per 100,000 people and positivity rates. The council’s consideration comes a week after D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser re-instated an indoor mask mandate in the city as COVID cases rise.
“The mask mandate, should that happen here in Montgomery County as it’s happened in D.C. for audiences, to me, it feels like a no brainer, it feels like, yes, of course, easy to do,” said Debbie Ellinghaus, managing director of the Olney Theater.
She hopes the council would consider allowing performers to go unmasked while on stage.
“Performers with masks, are not, is not ideal,” Ellinghaus said.
Right now, Olney Theater Center is selling out its Olney Outdoors shows. When it rains shows are moved inside at less than 50% capacity, and theatergoers are required to wear masks.
Roundhouse Theatre in Bethesda will hold its first in-person show, Quixote Nuevo, since the pandemic started on Sept. 8. Ed Zareski, managing director, expects the county to vote in favor or reinstating the indoor mask mandate if substantial spread is reached.
“We fully support it, and in fact we made the decision last week that the best way that we could protect the safety of our artists and audiences was to have a mask mandate,” Zareski said.
Unless the county rules prohibit it, Zareski says performers will be unmasked on stage but distanced from each other and the audience to protect everyone. He said that is something they have worked out with the actors’ union. Also, all performers will be vaccinated.
Both theaters are considering following Broadway’s lead and requiring proof of vaccination for audience members to go inside.
“Hopefully the discussions continue, and we might have something to announce in the near future,” Zareski said.
Ellinghaus said surveys have indicated that theater audiences will be more likely to return if vaccinations and masks are required.
“We may have to adopt those strict policies just to continue to make audiences feel comfortable, and these are things we’re willing to do,” Ellinghaus said.
She added they want audiences, artists and staff to feel safe and comfortable and to be safe and comfortable.
Copyright 2021 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (Photo: Roundhouse Theatre)
