The Road Back, Chapter 3: In the Audience

Things will look a little different this summer, but the picnic tradition will continue. Read on to learn a bit about what we think it will be like in the APT audience this season.

What to expect from the APT experience this year

Today on The Road Back, we’re going to outline what we expect the experience to be like at APT this summer. But first, a caveat: As much as we are all striving to make this season a reality, we can’t know with certainty that in-person plays will be possible right away – or, honestly, at all. Of course, we hope that we’ll be through the worst of this pandemic and starting to return to normal by the time summer rolls around. And that we’ll get approval to go ahead from our union partners (more about that here). In any case, know that we will find a way to deliver on our mission and bring you stories in whatever form we can. And as soon as we’re able to safely produce plays on the APT grounds, we will be ready to do just that.

Okay, that said, let’s run down what we’re expecting the APT experience to be like this year.

The audience members will have to wear masks, but the actors will not.
To keep the actors and your fellow audience members safe, patrons will be required to wear masks on the grounds and in the theaters.

As for the actors and production staff, they will be living and working in strict conditions to make sure they can safely show their faces, similar to what you may have seen in professional sports and in the film/TV industry. Each play will have a “pod,” meaning the cast and crew will only interact with each other (except when they are on stage in front of you) until that particular show closes. During that time, APT staff will see to their needs in the outside world, like running errands and getting groceries. They will also be subject to frequent COVID testing.

Audience size will be limited.
Our starting point is to fill the Hill and the Touchstone to 25% of capacity, or maybe even less. Each audience party will have at least 6’ between their seats and other groups. This means we’ll have about 250 people per performance in the Hill Theatre and fewer than 50 in the Touchstone. With such small audiences, we’ll depend on your enthusiasm and have no doubt you’ll provide it.

We’ll take lots of other safety precautions.
We’ll be taking other safety precautions also, based on recommendations from the CDC and our state and local health authorities. We’ll ask you to stand six feet apart waiting for concessions and the restroom. We’ll offer contactless ticketing. Audience members will be required to fill out a health form the day you come to the theater, to make sure you don’t have COVID symptoms or a fever. We’ll work hard to make sure the protocols are all clear and simple and don’t get in the way of your visit.

Picnics: the APT tradition continues.
We plan that our grounds will be open for picnicking before the show as usual. Some tables will need to be spaced further apart and some areas may not be available, but the APT picnic tradition continues. We expect our partners at Hubbard Avenue Diner to once again provide pre-made picnics for your convenience. And, with a few modifications, we hope to welcome back our Midsummer Music series and the second season of Art in the Woods.

Meet the artists…virtually.
Due to our podding rules, you won’t see actors and artisans at in-person post-show talkbacks or at our Play Talks. You won’t even see them walking down the Hill after the play as might have happened in the past. But we (and they) still hope to engage with you. We plan to take our Beyond the Plays series virtual and make sure you have plenty of opportunities to learn about APT’s production process and interact with the artists and artisans. There will be more details to come on this series as we get closer to the season.

And finally:

There will be an at-home option.
We know that coming to APT in person may not feel right for everyone. Plus, the aforementioned limited capacity may mean we can’t get everyone in right away. So, we intend to film each play to be available on demand online. Unlike our Out of the Woods readings or our holiday performances, these will not be recorded on Zoom (though we love you, Zoom…what would we have done without you this year?). Rather, they will be high-quality recordings of the full production. This is a whole new world for us, and APT staff is busy learning about it as fast as we can. We’re figuring out how to film, edit and distribute a version of each play that will be the next best thing to being there.

This will also be our back-up solution in case we’re not able to perform in person for some reason. Perhaps case counts are still too high, or someone in the cast comes down with the virus, or the play gets rained out (it feels so normal to be concerned about rainouts!), you will have the option of seeing the play this way if you wish. Flexible refund and exchange policies will also be in place.

We know this all may bring up questions for you. We’re still working out details and challenged by all those unknowable factors, but we promise to do our best to answer those questions as they become answerable. Because we are in this together. And we will share our plans with you every step of this journey, providing more details as we confirm them..

In the meantime, we remain ever hopeful that we’ll see your beaming faces at APT this summer. Sure, we won’t see as much of them individually, or as many of them in one place. But simply being able to imagine a time when we’re once again sharing stories with you under the moon and stars makes all the work and extra precautions more than worthwhile.

Next week: Let’s get into detail about a very important part of our plan – all about HVAC.