Call by theatres to relax Covid rules
Eighty people walk onto a bus. They’re wearing masks, but they’re jammed up against each other, touching buttons and surfaces touched by hundreds.
Eighty people walk into a theatre. They’re wearing masks, and there are seats between each group. The empty seats are costing the theatre thousands.
This inequality is at the heart of pleas from the events industry to rethink regulations on gatherings in light of the effectiveness of masks, and relaxed regulations in the public transport and airline sectors.
G&T Productions co-director Terry O’Connor said no show producer wanted to cause the next death or launch the next cluster, but they were confident they could run events safely.
At alert level 2, venues are allowed up to 100 people in any defined space, but people should keep ametre distance from strangers.
O’Connor’s company lost $120,000 in March, when its musical theatre production of Mary Poppins was postponed because of the lockdown.
It has been rescheduled for October at the Civic in Auckland at an additional cost of $70,000, mostly on marketing, but will only go ahead now if Auckland drops to level 1.
‘‘If we pack in now, and still close down, that’ll be another $100,000.’’ But that was the risk they took.
‘‘This isn’t about having a bleat,’’ O’Connor said. ‘‘It’s about fairness.’’
He was confident show organisers could manage events safely, making it the same risk to attend a show as riding a bus. They would enforce mask usage, while refusing entry and offering refunds to those who couldn’t comply.
They would open doors earlier for people to find their seats, extend intermission times to allow people to use the bathrooms without a crowd, and remove the sale of food and drinks at intermission. People would exit the theatre row by row, as on a plane.
O’Connor saw this as an opportunity to build a strong local base in the industry. With no international competition, the door was wide open for New Zealand talent and companies to fill the niche.
Entertainment Venues Association of New Zealand board member Mark Gosling said groups with ‘‘more clout’’ in government decision-making, such as the tourism industry, were being heard and changes were made, but events were collateral damage.
This comes after the regulations requiring social distancing were relaxed on public transport and planes, as long as masks are in use, just in time for the school holidays.
The Ministry of Health said air filtration and electronic ticketing for air travel were contributing factors in its decision. Gosling said this highlighted the unfairness. ‘‘If that’s the case it would be good to be called collateral damage, and we should be getting more financial support.’’
Most places were down to about 15 per cent operational capacity. ‘‘It’s killing us financially.’’
The industry was calling out for some conversation. ‘‘No-one is talking to us about it,’’ Gosling said.
While some independent theatres and venues were able to operate with distancing measures in place, it depended on whether they could cover their operating costs with reduced audiences.
Wellington Circa Theatre treasurer Gavin Rutherford said it was only economically viable to run shows in the larger of their two theatres, which normally seated 226 and now held 96.
But Circa was happy to continue distancing measures, aware its primary customer base of women aged over 55 might not feel safe attending productions without distancing in place. ‘‘When you’re there, you’re safe,’’ he said.
One of the latest casualties was the New Zealand Ukulele Festival, which was to be held at Auckland’s Trusts Arena. A statement on the festival’s website said it was cancelled ‘‘due to Covid-19 and the uncertainty around events and availability of funding’’.
That would affect about 3000 school students, Gosling said, and was a direct result of lack of confidence in their ability to proceed, and a consequential pulling of funding by their backers.
A Ministry of Health spokesperson said gatherings such as concerts posed a higher risk. A change to the restrictions for event facilities such as cinemas and theatres would require a change to the Alert Level Requirements Order 2020.