Mae Bernice

Should Theaters Be Reopened Today While There Is Still No End In Sight With The COVID-19 Pandemic?

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Four months after the World Health Organization (WHO) officially recognized COVID-19 as a pandemic, the entire world is still far from seeing the end of this situation. In an effort to curb the spread of this deadly pneumonia-like illness that originated from Wuhan, China, major cities all around the globe were forced into lockdown. Going to malls, parks, and other recreation centers are strictly prohibited. Unfortunately, due to these lockdown measures, the economy has also started to crumble, showing that COVID-19 is not only a public health issue.

One of the badly-affected industries due to the COVID-19 pandemic is theater arts. Many theater houses were closed down for the best interest of the audience and the people behind the theater play productions. Now that business establishments are slowly opening their doors to save what is left of our economy, there are now calls to allow the reopening of theater houses. Fans have long been waiting to watch their favorite theater acts live on stage, if not for the lockdown. However, is it now safe to allow live audience into a theater performance?

Public Welfare Must Be The Priority At This Point

We all know how bad it is to miss the openings of the huge upcoming theater plays this year. Unfortunately, we did not have any idea back then that a pandemic of this proportion would strike us. It is necessary to close the theater houses at the moment as the COVID-19 cases continue to rise. In the United States, the number of cases have already breached the 2-million mark, with more than half a million people in the country who succumbed to this disease. You can check https://www.jkrenhold.no/ for more stats.

Knowing that theater houses are closed spaces, letting only one person infected with COVID-19 to enter a hall filled with theater fans and performers would result to an exponential increase of infection in just a single day. With claims that the novel coronavirus is actually airborne, then opening the theater houses might actually be a wrong idea. Even if we apply social distancing inside the theater house, the poor ventilation would only allow the virus to go around the closed area, putting everyone at risk of contacting the disease.

For now, it is strongly advised for us to stay at home until the pandemic situation lets up. Luckily for us theater fans, some productions have allowed the recordings of famous theater plays such as Hamilton to be streamed online, so that we can all enjoy the wonder of theater in the comfort of our home. In this case, there will be no strict theater etiquette that we should follow.

Future Of Theater Looks Bleak As Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic Puts Thousands Of Fans At Risk Of Being Infected

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No one saw it coming that the world would be shutting down in just a blink of an eye with the birth of the 2019 novel coronavirus (now officially known as SARS-CoV 2). The virus, which causes severe pneumonia-like illness called the  coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), has already spread in all continents of the world. The rate of infection with the novel coronavirus became so exponential that the World Health Organization (WHO) has finally declared it as a pandemic, with millions of people around the world hoping that the disease will spare them.

As major cities in every continent of the world were forced into a lockdown in hopes to contain the spread of the disease, people staying inside their homes are left with no choice but to wait it out. The problem is that the COVID-19 crisis has yet to show signs of letting up, and there is a big possibility that the world as we know it will take about several months to return to normal. For the theater fans out there, 2020 is not a good time for you with hundreds of plays needed to be cancelled as a precaution.

Theater Plays Making A Sacrifice As Preventing To Form A Crowd Slows Down The Spread Of The Virus

Watching theater plays is one way to connect ourselves to different cultures and timelines, perhaps even broadening our perspectives to appreciate a different reality. That is the magic of theater right there when we begin to imagine another world that tells a beautiful story. Many people flock together to enjoy the opening night of theater plays. Unfortunately, for this year, we will have to look for other ways to appreciate theater.

As we all know, social distancing is a top choice in preventing the spread of COVID-19. When it comes to watching theater plays, it will be difficult to observe social distancing, especially if there are long lines going inside the theater house. Of course, there is theater etiquette that we can follow to prevent overcrowding in the theater house, but the fact that the virus can infect many people inside a closed space made many theater productions to sacrifice their upcoming plays, for the safety of the stage actors and the audience.

Watching Theater Plays Online: Will This Be Our ‘New Normal?’

Thanks to the internet, we can do different activities without having to be physically present in the situation. For one, we can purchase items online without having to go to the store ourselves. You can go to grabfreerobux.com and see for yourself. When it comes to theater, the fans can have the opportunity to enjoy their favorite stage plays while staying inside their homes. The problem is that some fans are demanding to watch live theater plays to be streamed online, but this is challenging for the production as they must also observe public health measures on stage.

Theater Play Etiquette You Should Always Keep In Mind Before Going To One

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Watching a theater performance with your companions is a nice way to unwind and loosen up after long periods of grinding at the workplace or at school. It is also a chance to associate with various people whom you share the same interests. It is a major reward if your preferred theater entertainers are available during the play, and it will be difficult to contain your feelings as you watch them perform in front of an audience.

However, as we tend to enjoy the theater play so much, we often forget that we are not the only ones who are trying to enjoy the stage performance. It is understandable that you are getting into the vibe of the play, and it is not in your intention to ruin other people’s experience. That is why we should all remember the basic theater etiquette as we go inside the theater.

Go To The Play On Time To Show Respect To The Audience And The Performers

It is not new to us to be on time when we set our important meetings. Even when we were young, we were taught to be always on time when going to school. At work, our bosses would scold us if we fail to show up in the office on time. When it comes to watching a theater play, we might think that this is the right moment to forget about punctuality and go in whenever we want, even if it is already half an hour late into the show.

The first thing we should remember is that coming early in the theater play is an important display of courtesy, not just to your fellow audience, but also to the stage actors. It may cause a distraction if you have just shown up at the theater and the actors are already playing an important scene for the play. It is also disruptive to other people who have to bear with you walking around and looking for available seats.

As much as possible, try to catch a theater play at least 20 minutes before the introduction actually begins. A good tip to avoid coming in late into the play is to buy your tickets online, which will spare you a good ten minutes waiting in line at the ticket booth. Do not wait to count up to 0345 to enter the theater house.

Don’t Forget To Put Your Phone In Silent Mode, Or Much Better If You Just Turn It Off

Another disruptive practice of the audience during a theater play is answering phone calls. There will be times when you need to take an important call, but you are in the wrong place and wrong moment to pick up the phone. No matter how important that call is, remember that talking with someone on the phone while the play is ongoing is outright rude to the actors. They would not like seeing anyone in the audience entertaining a call as they try not to get distracted by anything and focus on giving everyone an amazing show. The actors are doing their part to offer a satisfying performance, so it is expected from us as audience to focus on the play and enjoy, nothing more, nothing less.