A season full of promise

Entertainment returns with new adaptations as COVID rules shift

As we head into the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bay Area arts and entertainment organizations once again face a season of uncertainty.

With coronavirus cases and hospitalizations trending downward following the devastating omicron surge, public health officials are peeling back most of the safety measures aimed at controlling the spread of the virus. Masks are no longer required for anyone in most indoor settings, and most counties no longer mandate that people show proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter restaurants and entertainment venues.

“San Francisco is ready to further reduce COVID-19 restrictions and allow individuals to make their own decisions to protect themselves and their loved ones,” Dr. Susan Philip, the city’s health officer, said in a statement announcing the easing of the rules.

That means venue owners, concert promoters, event organizers, cultural institutions and their patrons like you once again have to figure out their own way forward. Megan Murray, audience services manager at the American Conservatory Theater, told The Chronicle that she is part of a front-of-house “support group” that meets weekly to cope with the changing rules that appear to be shifting daily.

After months of touch-and-go operations to keep their doors open and their staff, audience members and performers safe, many local operators will no doubt want to play it safe in the coming months and ask people to continue to wear masks, show proof of vaccination and maybe even use a dollop of hand sanitizer.

But whether the looser health guidelines are cause for cautious optimism or optimal caution, there will be plenty of spring offerings for every risk level: art shows that allow plenty of room for social distancing; theater performances that cater to small, highly vaccinated audiences; long-awaited blockbuster movies inside indoor theaters with popcorn-chomping fans; and massive music festivals where tens of thousands of maskless fans can shout along to Metallica.

Here are just a few events The Chronicle is looking forward to this season, no matter what twists the pandemic brings.

Jana Asenbrennerova / Special to The Chronicle Models Bombalicious Eklaver (left) and Christine Lee take selfies during International Flower Bulb Day in San Francisco’s Union Square.