Reconnecting after a traumatic year of separation and loss is a work-in-progress. 四虎影院 and The Dallas Morning News are collaborating to document how North Texas鈥� arts and culture scene is emerging from the pandemic. The News鈥� Tim Diovanni and 四虎影院鈥檚 Jerome Weeks report on how performing arts groups and museums are grappling with state laws, CDC guidelines and a rise in coronavirus cases.
Canceling shows. Extending mask requirements. Testing staff and performers for COVID-19.
As due to the highly contagious delta variant, North Texas arts groups are again finding themselves on uncertain ground as they did in the pandemic鈥檚 earlier days.
But now there are major differences.
New state laws and executive orders restrict what businesses can do in response to COVID-19. And vaccinations are readily available.
Under an executive order signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in May, government entities 鈥� including counties, cities, school districts, public health authorities and government officials 鈥� . last week, banning any future mask requirements from government bodies.
His latest order came only days after the , recommending masking for even vaccinated people in areas of the country where the coronavirus is surging 鈥� like North Texas.
Private businesses, though, are still allowed to require masks.
All these changes are leaving people uncertain about what鈥檚 safe. In an informal conducted over the past few days, about 70% of more than 1,200 respondents said they do not feel safe or are unsure if they feel safe attending public arts events.
鈥淚 would love to go to a show,鈥� wrote Delia Summy of Rockwall in response to the survey. 鈥淚 just need to make sure it鈥檚 not going to kill me or anyone from my family.鈥�
The percentage of people who said they do not feel safe or are unsure if they feel safe in the recent survey marks an increase from an informal , as restrictions were easing due to the vaccine rollout. In that survey, about 42% of more than 300 respondents said they felt unsafe about attending in-person events.
So where does this leave arts organizations that had been looking forward to welcoming back audiences without requiring masks?
The answer is: It depends.
On requiring masks
Dallas is the debut stop for , which is set to open Tuesday in the Music Hall at Fair Park. It will be , with thousands expected to attend during its one-month run.
Dallas Summer Musicals says the show will go on with . That includes requiring audiences to wear masks at all times, except when they are eating and drinking before the performance and during intermission in the lobby.
A June agreement between Broadway producers and the actors union requires that all cast and crew be vaccinated and tested weekly. Contact with audience members before and after performances is prohibited.
Similar protocols are in place at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth. With mandatory masks, air filters and other safety measures, the venue recently reopened with Jubilee Theatre鈥檚 socially distanced production of Southern Boys: Sons of Sharecroppers.
鈥淔rom the time we announced our reopening plans, we have stated that masks will be required,鈥� wrote Dione Kennedy, president and CEO of Performing Arts Fort Worth, which runs Bass Hall, in an email.
Performing Arts Fort Worth aims for Bass Hall to run at full capacity, with masks required, at the start of the 2021-22 season.
At the AT&T Performing Arts Center, the CDC鈥檚 new guideline has caused it to rethink its plans, said president and CEO Debbie Storey. 鈥淲e were moving toward not requiring masks at some point in the fall [in indoor venues],鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e put those plans on hold.鈥�
Similar protocols are in place at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth. With mandatory masks, air filters and other safety measures, the venue recently reopened with Jubilee Theatre鈥檚 socially distanced production of Southern Boys: Sons of Sharecroppers.
鈥淔rom the time we announced our reopening plans, we have stated that masks will be required,鈥� wrote Dione Kennedy, president and CEO of Performing Arts Fort Worth, which runs Bass Hall, in an email.
Performing Arts Fort Worth aims for Bass Hall to run at full capacity, with masks required, at the start of the 2021-22 season.
At the AT&T Performing Arts Center, the CDC鈥檚 new guideline has caused it to rethink its plans, said president and CEO Debbie Storey. 鈥淲e were moving toward not requiring masks at some point in the fall [in indoor venues],鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e put those plans on hold.鈥�
The center鈥檚 venues, like the Winspear Opera House and Wyly Theatre, are owned by the city of Dallas. But ATTPAC manages its day-to-day operations for the city. That鈥檚 why it鈥檚 allowed to mandate masking. The same holds true for the Meyerson Symphony Center, which is owned by the city but run by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
The DSO was aiming to return to performances without requiring audiences to wear masks. Yet president and CEO Kim Noltemy said it looks like they will require masks.
The Meyerson Symphony Center will probably operate at a much greater capacity than last year, when audiences were limited to less than 500 people. Yet it鈥檚 too soon to tell if the hall will be able to run at full capacity, Noltemy said.
Other venues, like the Dallas Museum of Art and the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, are now strongly recommending that visitors wear masks. DMA director Agust铆n Arteaga said that masks are required for children under 12, who cannot be vaccinated.
The DMA also isn鈥檛 limiting the number of attendees because of its size. 鈥淭he museum is so big that there鈥檚 always so much space for everyone,鈥� Arteaga said.
In the same recent survey from 四虎影院 and The News, 71% of respondents indicated that they would like arts venues to bring back mandatory masking.
鈥淢y daughter is high-risk and too young to be vaccinated,鈥� wrote Jami Schwartz of Rockwall in response to the survey. 鈥淚 felt safe taking her to outdoor venues when masking was required. Now I don鈥檛 even feel comfortable going to outdoor venues as most people don鈥檛 mask.
鈥淓ven after we are able to get [my daughter] vaccinated, if the variants are still raising concerns, we will only attend indoor venues that require masks.鈥�
Meanwhile, Amphibian Stage in Fort Worth and Ochre House Theater near Fair Park because of COVID-19 concerns. Amphibian Stage canceledafter both ticket holders and people involved in the shows had tested positive for COVID-19. The Ochre House theater followed soon after. A small company, it postponed its show CURSED! because of the rising rate of infections in the Dallas area.
鈥淚 do worry that things are about to shift once again, and take away performances and my way of making money,鈥� wrote Oladipo Oyediran, an artist and musician from Arlington, in response to the recent survey. 鈥淏ut I understand the safety of everyone around me is more important.鈥�
On requiring proof of vaccination
Vaccines are another concern for patrons and arts groups.
Under a law signed by Abbott in June, Texas businesses are . And in his executive order last week, Abbott banned government bodies from issuing vaccine requirements.
The situation is different in other parts of the U.S.
In New York, . Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera will require vaccines when they reopen, as well, and bar children under 12 from attending performances.
In the survey from 四虎影院 and The News, more than 86% of respondents said they would be comfortable showing proof of vaccination if asked by arts venues.
However, there are many who are not comfortable showing proof of vaccination. 鈥淚f they require [me] to show a vaccine pass, I will not attend any events or give any donations to the arts,鈥� wrote Katie from Fort Worth 鈥� who did not give her last name 鈥� in response to the survey.
Private businesses in Texas can still require their employees to be vaccinated. Earlier in July, Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest nonprofit hospital system in Texas, announced .
Among arts groups, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra is requiring its staff and musicians to be vaccinated before the start of the fall season, with exceptions for religious and medical reasons.
ATTPAC isn鈥檛 requiring vaccines from all performers and staff. Yet Storey said almost all of the staff has been vaccinated and backstage crew are required to get their shots. Many visiting companies are also requiring their performers to be vaccinated.
In addition, the performing arts center is considering implementing testing for all of its employees and performers.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the best way for us to ensure that we can identify and contain a case if we find one,鈥� Storey said. 鈥淏ecause you can鈥檛 be certain that vaccinated employees are not carrying or spreading COVID.鈥�
Neither the DMA nor the Kimbell are mandating vaccinations for their staff. Yet the Kimbell is encouraging its staff to be vaccinated, according to its director, Eric Lee. And the DMA has hosted vaccination clinics for its staff and their family members, Arteaga said. He added that about 80% of the DMA鈥檚 staff has been vaccinated.
鈥淲e know that there鈥檚 always a chance for things to shift quickly,鈥� Arteaga said. 鈥淵ou have to be nimble and thoughtful, and consider the best way to react.鈥�