Ontario Stage 3: A New Hope -or- Hurry Up and Wait, Again
By Eric Coates, GCTC Artistic Director
The long-awaited Stage 3 re-opening guidelines arrived the other day and, like giddy children on a crisp December morning, we tore the wrapping paper to shreds, delirious in the expectation of a long-desired and well-deserved gift. We had, after all, lobbied for this news nigh on four months, writing weekly updates of our exemplary behaviour in the face of excruciating temptation—all those times that I resisted the urge to hug a friend… the time that I forgot my mask and almost entered the store anyway… declining a glass of wine because it was too cold to sit outside. And not once, not once, did I lick the elevator buttons.
Expectation, it should be remembered, is often accompanied by its attendant sidekicks, Disappointment and Confusion. On occasion, the three are joined by that distant, austere auntie with the triple-barreled name of indeterminate origin: Cold-Hard-Reality. So it was, on this eagerly anticipated day, that we liberated Stage 3 from the inbox, whereupon it lay gasping and pale on the carpet, looking not so much like a bottled sprite released for celebration as much as something we had mistakenly exhumed from the yard of a suspicious neighbour. We stared at it, blinking in disbelief as Expectation, silently, invisibly, drifted out the door while Disappointment hummed an immediately irritating and tuneless song, accompanied by Confusion on a heretofore unseen hurdy-gurdy, with which he apparently travels for moments such as this. Cold-Hard-Reality cinched the waistband of her coarse woolen trousers, made an unfortunate smacking sound through her thin lips, turned the latch key behind Expectation while casting a glance at the wreckage of paper, cardboard and ribbon strewn across the parlor floor, and, with surgical efficiency, strode to the bay window and drew the curtains shut.
Gentle readers, please understand that despite the tone of this message, we wholly support any measures that continue to prioritize public health and safety. Even a cursory glance at the ongoing disinformation and willful ignorance on display to the south provides a cautionary tale of individual “rights” versus the collective good. Stage 3 is upon us, and although we didn’t expect it to be the panacea that we are all hoping for, it is difficult to accept that the performing arts will still not be truly accessible for many months. This excerpt from the Stage 3 framework provides a few of the relevant restrictions that will remain in place for the foreseeable future:
Performers must maintain physical distancing of two metres from every other person, except from other performers where necessary for purposes of the performance.
Audiences are subject to the number of people that can maintain physical distancing of at least two metres and cannot exceed gathering limits of 50 indoors and 100 outdoors. This applies to the entire facility, regardless of the number of theatres or performance stages within the facility.
Plexiglass or some other impermeable barrier is required between the audience and singers as well as players of brass or wind instruments.
When we apply two metre distancing in the theatre at GCTC, we can accommodate roughly 30 people. Yes, we could allow 50 people into the space, but that is only possible if we were to successfully find 5 groups of 10 people (each group an established social bubble), all available and interested in the same show, on the same night. As I wrote in a recent newsletter update, this simply doesn’t generate enough ticket sales for us to support a production. Why, then, are some independent companies able to press ahead with live performance? A very good question, and one that I am happy to answer. As a member of the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT), GCTC is signatory to a number of collective bargaining agreements, all negotiated with our partner organizations that represent our mutual interests, including Canadian Actors’ Equity Association (CAEA), Associated Designers of Canada (ADC), Playwrights Guild of Canada (PGC), and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). These agreements provide a framework for mutually agreeable working standards and conditions, for all. The pandemic compromises our ability to meet the standard working terms and conditions of our agreements. What’s more, none of the agreements contain clauses that anticipate a global pandemic (go figure). Independent companies and solo artists, however, that are not signatories to collective agreements, can adapt more fluidly in the current situation. There are two sides to every coin, and we are aware that the protections afforded to us by collective agreements come with some limitations when it comes to, say, global pandemics. Lest anyone is curious, we are pleased to report that all parties concerned recognize the situation for what it is and are working to find solutions that will allow professional artists to work again in a safe environment as soon as possible.
Where does this leave us now? Another excellent question. As reported in our last newsletter update, we are working to program material by local artists in the coming year, and looking at alternative production and presentation models that may take us outside of the venue. It will be an adventure, and we are eager to reboot our 2020/21 plans in a way that creates meaningful work for local artists and offers an exciting trip for you. Which brings me, finally, to just how grateful we are for you. At least once during every online staff meeting, one of our folks shares an anecdote about a positive exchange that they have had with a GCTC subscriber or donor or friend of the organization. One thing that I have learned during decades of work in the theatre is that, because it takes more effort, a positive gesture lasts much longer than any complaint—and it pays dividends in both directions. Every time we hear your messages of support, it feeds our desire to provide you with a meaningful season and the kind of art that you have come to expect from GCTC. It buoys us to know that, in spite of financial fatigue, emotional strain, loneliness, anxiety and all the other impacts of the pandemic, our relationships are strong, and they will be that much stronger when we eventually return to something that resembles our expectation of a night at the theatre. We will gather again. We will shake hands. We will rejoice at the sight of old friends and we will struggle to remember the name of that fellow in the blue sweater, or the person who just called hello from the stairs. We will hug. We will pat Disappointment and Confusion on the shoulder and show them out to the street, where they can compare notes with Cold-Hard-Reality before moving on to their next engagement. And we’ll be so busy catching up that we won’t even notice that they’re gone.
Thank you, again, for your patience as we continue to map the season ahead. Our staff has been adjusting to this period with a growing understanding that there is no way to rush it, nor is there any percentage in making promises that we cannot keep. Some of us (including me) are about to take a scheduled vacation and we hope to reconvene with some specific programming information for you in mid-August. I look forward to providing this update as soon as possible.
Please stay safe and healthy. Thank you to everyone who has been sending good vibes our way—they are coming right back at you.