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New West theatre capping ticket sales in light of COVID-19

Massey Theatre and Arts Council of New Westminster are among the local groups working fast to respond to the evolving COVID-19 situation and health directives in B.C.
Julie Maclellan
Massey Theatre
Future plans: Massey Theatre is planning for future improvements to the facility, now that a solid plan for its ownership has been mapped out. Recent upgrades to the theatre have been done and more will follow.

UPDATE: New information regarding the cancellation of Crazy For You was added to this story a 5:33 p.m. Friday, March 13.

Planning to attend an upcoming arts event or theatre production in New Westminster?

Be sure to check ahead to see if it’s running.

Local arts groups – including the Arts Council of New Westminster, Royal City Musical Theatre and Massey Theatre - are monitoring the evolving COVID-19 situation in British Columbia to determine whether currently scheduled events should go ahead.

A few cancellations have already been announced, including tonight’s planned Solidarity for Unist’ot’en concert at Massey Theatre and a Music at Queens concert, featuring jazz singer Adele M. Wilding, scheduled for March 21.

Stephen O’Shea, executive director of the Arts Council of New Westminster, noted the organization is continuing to monitor the situation and expects to know more after 3:30 p.m. today when the provincial government provides another update.

Currently, the provincial directive is to cancel events with audiences of more than 250 people.

“Measures will be taken to ensure New West Craft, Last Monday at the Movies, and gallery operations are in accordance with government instruction,” O’Shea said in an email. “We expect some cancellations and mostly postponement of events but have not made any decisions at this time, as the vast majority of our events take place with 250 people or less.”

Erin Jeffery of Massey Theatre noted all shows at the Massey and Anvil Centre theatre are now automatically capping ticket sales at 250 and providing for more space between audience members.

“The situation is evolving,” she said, noting there are likely to be postponements and other changes in the works as the provincial health directives evolve.

In situations where ticket sales for a particular show have already passed 250, those decisions are being made now.

Royal City Musical Theatre has just publicly announced the cancellation of its major spring musical, Crazy For You, which was to run at the Massey Theatre from April 9 to 25. See story here.

In the meantime, both the Arts Council of New Westminster and Massey Theatre are following a list of protocols to ensure the health and safety of audience members.

  • Encouraging members of the public experiencing fever, cough or difficulty breathing to stay home. 
  • Encouraging audience members to spread out in the theatre to create space between parties and increase enjoyment of the program
  • Supplying lobby areas and entrances with hand sanitizer liquids and wipes
  • Posting signage in washrooms, dressing rooms, staff areas encouraging frequent handwashing
  • Increased sanitizing of touch points such as doorknobs, door handles, hand rails and seating
  • Making certain that organization and venue staff are practising these protocols and practising safe ways of interacting with audience members.

O’Shea noted there are a number of options for audience members who need to stay home from an arts council event. His email outlined three possibilities:

  1. You may donate your tickets back to Arts Council of New Westminster and we will issue you a charitable tax receipt for the equivalent amount. This is a particular gift during a challenging time for non-profit arts organizations like the ACNW.
  2. Give your tickets to a friend! They can pick up the tickets under your name; just call the box office and let us know.
  3. Exchange your tickets for a future performance. Please contact our office to discuss options by calling 604-525-3244 or e-mailing [email protected]. We hope that all of you stay healthy – and we look forward to seeing you safely soon.

The Massey Theatre also has its COVID-19 statement on its website, and new information will be posted there as it becomes available. You can find that at https://www.masseytheatre.com/theatre-open-a-note-about-covid-19/

You can also watch the arts council website, www.acnw.ca/news for further details.

NOTE: Information in this story was current as of 2 p.m. on Friday, March 13. Further updates will be made as new information becomes available.