CultureMap Dallas: The Firehouse Theatre in Farmers Branch has canceled the remaining performances of its musical revue Back to the '80s!, which was originally set to run October 16-25 on an outside stage at the Sound at Cypress Waters.
Few theaters in Dallas-Fort Worth have attempted live, in-person productions with a full cast during the pandemic — and with good reason.
3 comments:
What this article talks about has been the reality of so many schools, companies, events etc., to the point that it was not even surprising to read about it, although it is definitely sad to think about. Sad, that here we are, after 7 months, and yet the pandemic continues to have such implications with even a slight slip up or negligence on our parts. It is all just terrible basically, to hear about these stories, and not think about how this might be something that can happen so easily and have such harsh implications.
I would like to think that the Firehouse Theater would have taken the necessary precautions before going in- person and that this was just inevitable, given the large cast, several technicians and audience members. Hopefully, they can go back to their productions as soon as possible, with the same or better set of precautions, in order to prolong their productions season the next time.
This is truly devastating to hear. Whenever I hear stories of productions or movies that have to shut down due to the virus surging I just think of how so many people in our industry are so hungry to get back to work but in doing so puts them at such a high risk for the virus. I stand by Equity in their decision to remove them from being an Equity producer, particularly in a situation like this that could potentially have so many people’s lives become at risk due to total disregard of the rules. If you are an Equity house you must follow every single rule that comes along with that honor, you do not get to pick and chose which rules suit your company best. My heart goes out to all the actors and technicians, and potentially even audience members, who tested positive from working at the Firehouse Theater. Its wild that people in the entertainment industry have to risk so much to be able to work, but I suppose this is the same for any industry at the moment. We aren’t doctors or nurses, but some of us may be willing to risk a lot if it means being able to work again.
Even though I feel bad for the cast and crew because of their means of making a living, the Firehouse Theatre should not have had that many people in close quarters without necessary precautions. Like Sarah said, it is so insane that there are so many things that have to be in place in order for theatre people to make a living in live entertainment but unfortunately it’s absolutely necessary. Within this cast, you have no idea whose family and/or friends are high-risk or who this could spread to outside of the cast and crew. I hope this doesn't affect Firehouse’s ticket sales in the future because of how quickly it was found to have spread in the cast and crew members. I really feel terrible for all the lost jobs that have happened in the pandemic and hope they can find an alternative option for the sake of their employees.
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