The Kennedy Center is ridiculous for still requiring masks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Broadway is still requiring masks, so it seems they are in line with what their arts peers in others major cities are doing.

+1
I think the liver performance aspect of it (so someone being sick affects the whole cast, and there's no working from home), plus the fact that the performers themselves can't really mask, means that they are more cautious. Plus, theater audiences tend to skew older.

But they are not dictating what kind of mask. So its all ridiculous theater. Pun intended.

OK? So is having "rules" for lap infants on airplanes, FFS. There are all kinds of safety theater things we participate in as a society, like smoking "sections" of restaurants in some states.

But its not actually protecting anyone from Covid. So its not protecting old people from Covid. Its just fooling the ones who don't know any better.

It absolutely is protecting people from Covid. I didn't get a single illness despite working in a school masked from March 2020 to May 2022...the week I decided to unmask I got Covid. Not a coincidence.

It is protecting the ones who wear KN95/KF94, which those people could chose to do anyway. The people who don't want to mask and are wearing ill-fitting cotton or "surgical" masks are protecting no one. This has been proven. So there is no point to requiring those people to mask. None. YOU are free to wear whatever mask you like. My super large and loose surgical mask is not helping you one bit.

Why don’t you care about yourself? A proper mask will offer protection. Your mindset is self harming.

[Anonymous]

I have been to a number of live performance events recently that require masks - Strathmore, chamber music concerts, etc. A couple of them even required vax cards. I have absolutely no trouble wearing a mask, but showing a vax card at this stage of the pandemic, when vaxxed people are just as infectious as the unvaxxed, is just theater.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Broadway is still requiring masks, so it seems they are in line with what their arts peers in others major cities are doing.

+1
I think the liver performance aspect of it (so someone being sick affects the whole cast, and there's no working from home), plus the fact that the performers themselves can't really mask, means that they are more cautious. Plus, theater audiences tend to skew older.

But they are not dictating what kind of mask. So its all ridiculous theater. Pun intended.

OK? So is having "rules" for lap infants on airplanes, FFS. There are all kinds of safety theater things we participate in as a society, like smoking "sections" of restaurants in some states.

But its not actually protecting anyone from Covid. So its not protecting old people from Covid. Its just fooling the ones who don't know any better.

It absolutely is protecting people from Covid. I didn't get a single illness despite working in a school masked from March 2020 to May 2022...the week I decided to unmask I got Covid. Not a coincidence.

It is protecting the ones who wear KN95/KF94, which those people could chose to do anyway. The people who don't want to mask and are wearing ill-fitting cotton or "surgical" masks are protecting no one. This has been proven. So there is no point to requiring those people to mask. None. YOU are free to wear whatever mask you like. My super large and loose surgical mask is not helping you one bit.

Why don’t you care about yourself? A proper mask will offer protection. Your mindset is self harming.

I'm fully vaccinated as is my entire family. If we catch Covid we'll be fine but thanks for your concern.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have been to a number of live performance events recently that require masks - Strathmore, chamber music concerts, etc. A couple of them even required vax cards. I have absolutely no trouble wearing a mask, but showing a vax card at this stage of the pandemic, when vaxxed people are just as infectious as the unvaxxed, is just theater.

Its ALLLLLLL theater at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have been to a number of live performance events recently that require masks - Strathmore, chamber music concerts, etc. A couple of them even required vax cards. I have absolutely no trouble wearing a mask, but showing a vax card at this stage of the pandemic, when vaxxed people are just as infectious as the unvaxxed, is just theater.

Its ALLLLLLL theater at this point.

Full of wise saws and modern instances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m seeing Hamilton this week and did not realize until I received my ‘reminder’ email that this is still a requirement. They have to be one of the only places (with the exception of hospitals/doctor’s offices) to require this!

Will really dampen the experience.

There was a very similar thread here very recently. I actually thought this was the same thread.

The KC is far from being "one of the only places" to do this. Every theater we've been to this spring and summer still requires masks. I said on that other thread: At one play we attended not long ago, the stage manager came out (masked) and thanked the audience and said of us and the crew, "WE mask so the actors don't have to."

OP, one case of covid, even an asymptomatic positive test, can bring a whole production to a halt. We saw a play in DC recently (not at the KC) where one cast member was out for a positive test the night we saw it; that play missed a few shows the next week, with several cast members positive; and they came back briefly it seems before all the final shows were cancelled. That means cast and crew out of work, lost revenues for the theater potentially. Some productions are trying to have actors limit outisde contact as much as possible, but actors have families just like the rest of us, so....And actors are working hard in front of audiences who are, sure, more than six feet away--but who are in the hundreds, all sharing the same air space. I'd rather see actors working without masks on their faces, wouldn't you? That's why theaters want audiences to mask.

And please don't think that understudies are a magical solution. Many productions do not have them at all and where there are understudies, those actors often are understudying more than one role while playing roles themselves. So there's no perfect solution of "X is out with a positive test, send in X's understudy" becasue that understudy may already be on stage replacing actor Y, who was already out sick....

So please just mask up with good grace. You should be so into the show, you won't even notice.

It isn't about "geriatric" patrons as some other PPs have said. It's about the fact that theater companies -- especially traveling productions like "Hamilton" with many cities, tons of potential exposures -- know that if even one actor gets Covid, it can have a terrible domino effect.

This is exactly right. It's a business/revenue protection measure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m seeing Hamilton this week and did not realize until I received my ‘reminder’ email that this is still a requirement. They have to be one of the only places (with the exception of hospitals/doctor’s offices) to require this!

Will really dampen the experience.

There was a very similar thread here very recently. I actually thought this was the same thread.

The KC is far from being "one of the only places" to do this. Every theater we've been to this spring and summer still requires masks. I said on that other thread: At one play we attended not long ago, the stage manager came out (masked) and thanked the audience and said of us and the crew, "WE mask so the actors don't have to."

OP, one case of covid, even an asymptomatic positive test, can bring a whole production to a halt. We saw a play in DC recently (not at the KC) where one cast member was out for a positive test the night we saw it; that play missed a few shows the next week, with several cast members positive; and they came back briefly it seems before all the final shows were cancelled. That means cast and crew out of work, lost revenues for the theater potentially. Some productions are trying to have actors limit outisde contact as much as possible, but actors have families just like the rest of us, so....And actors are working hard in front of audiences who are, sure, more than six feet away--but who are in the hundreds, all sharing the same air space. I'd rather see actors working without masks on their faces, wouldn't you? That's why theaters want audiences to mask.

And please don't think that understudies are a magical solution. Many productions do not have them at all and where there are understudies, those actors often are understudying more than one role while playing roles themselves. So there's no perfect solution of "X is out with a positive test, send in X's understudy" becasue that understudy may already be on stage replacing actor Y, who was already out sick....

So please just mask up with good grace. You should be so into the show, you won't even notice.

It isn't about "geriatric" patrons as some other PPs have said. It's about the fact that theater companies -- especially traveling productions like "Hamilton" with many cities, tons of potential exposures -- know that if even one actor gets Covid, it can have a terrible domino effect.

This is exactly right. It's a business/revenue protection measure.

But again, a loose cotton mask is protecting no one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m seeing Hamilton this week and did not realize until I received my ‘reminder’ email that this is still a requirement. They have to be one of the only places (with the exception of hospitals/doctor’s offices) to require this!

Will really dampen the experience.

Well, just don't go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Broadway is still requiring masks, so it seems they are in line with what their arts peers in others major cities are doing.

Sorry, NO ONE in Europe is requiring masks.

If Broadway and DC still are, I wonder what's wrong with you fellas?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m seeing Hamilton this week and did not realize until I received my ‘reminder’ email that this is still a requirement. They have to be one of the only places (with the exception of hospitals/doctor’s offices) to require this!

Will really dampen the experience.

There was a very similar thread here very recently. I actually thought this was the same thread.

The KC is far from being "one of the only places" to do this. Every theater we've been to this spring and summer still requires masks. I said on that other thread: At one play we attended not long ago, the stage manager came out (masked) and thanked the audience and said of us and the crew, "WE mask so the actors don't have to."

OP, one case of covid, even an asymptomatic positive test, can bring a whole production to a halt. We saw a play in DC recently (not at the KC) where one cast member was out for a positive test the night we saw it; that play missed a few shows the next week, with several cast members positive; and they came back briefly it seems before all the final shows were cancelled. That means cast and crew out of work, lost revenues for the theater potentially. Some productions are trying to have actors limit outisde contact as much as possible, but actors have families just like the rest of us, so....And actors are working hard in front of audiences who are, sure, more than six feet away--but who are in the hundreds, all sharing the same air space. I'd rather see actors working without masks on their faces, wouldn't you? That's why theaters want audiences to mask.

And please don't think that understudies are a magical solution. Many productions do not have them at all and where there are understudies, those actors often are understudying more than one role while playing roles themselves. So there's no perfect solution of "X is out with a positive test, send in X's understudy" becasue that understudy may already be on stage replacing actor Y, who was already out sick....

So please just mask up with good grace. You should be so into the show, you won't even notice.

It isn't about "geriatric" patrons as some other PPs have said. It's about the fact that theater companies -- especially traveling productions like "Hamilton" with many cities, tons of potential exposures -- know that if even one actor gets Covid, it can have a terrible domino effect.

This is exactly right. It's a business/revenue protection measure.

But again, a loose cotton mask is protecting no one.

Let it go. Folks at the Kennedy Center are either wearing the KN95s or using the surgical masks provided for people who show up without them. Believe it or not, most people are properly masked. We just went to Hamilton and I was surprised at how compliant people are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Broadway is still requiring masks, so it seems they are in line with what their arts peers in others major cities are doing.

Sorry, NO ONE in Europe is requiring masks.

If Broadway and DC still are, I wonder what's wrong with you fellas?

Funny how everyone is coming home from Europe with covid. Or two weeks of “bronchitis”.

[Anonymous]

I just got Covid at an indoor concert and regretted not wearing a mask. Two weeks of disruption not to mention lingering brain fog and two days of being really sick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m seeing Hamilton this week and did not realize until I received my ‘reminder’ email that this is still a requirement. They have to be one of the only places (with the exception of hospitals/doctor’s offices) to require this!

Will really dampen the experience.

There was a very similar thread here very recently. I actually thought this was the same thread.

The KC is far from being "one of the only places" to do this. Every theater we've been to this spring and summer still requires masks. I said on that other thread: At one play we attended not long ago, the stage manager came out (masked) and thanked the audience and said of us and the crew, "WE mask so the actors don't have to."

OP, one case of covid, even an asymptomatic positive test, can bring a whole production to a halt. We saw a play in DC recently (not at the KC) where one cast member was out for a positive test the night we saw it; that play missed a few shows the next week, with several cast members positive; and they came back briefly it seems before all the final shows were cancelled. That means cast and crew out of work, lost revenues for the theater potentially. Some productions are trying to have actors limit outisde contact as much as possible, but actors have families just like the rest of us, so....And actors are working hard in front of audiences who are, sure, more than six feet away--but who are in the hundreds, all sharing the same air space. I'd rather see actors working without masks on their faces, wouldn't you? That's why theaters want audiences to mask.

And please don't think that understudies are a magical solution. Many productions do not have them at all and where there are understudies, those actors often are understudying more than one role while playing roles themselves. So there's no perfect solution of "X is out with a positive test, send in X's understudy" becasue that understudy may already be on stage replacing actor Y, who was already out sick....

So please just mask up with good grace. You should be so into the show, you won't even notice.

It isn't about "geriatric" patrons as some other PPs have said. It's about the fact that theater companies -- especially traveling productions like "Hamilton" with many cities, tons of potential exposures -- know that if even one actor gets Covid, it can have a terrible domino effect.

This is exactly right. It's a business/revenue protection measure.

But again, a loose cotton mask is protecting no one.

Let it go. Folks at the Kennedy Center are either wearing the KN95s or using the surgical masks provided for people who show up without them. Believe it or not, most people are properly masked. We just went to Hamilton and I was surprised at how compliant people are.

This is the joke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn’t even have bought tickets knowing that information.

Then sell the tix, now that you know.

[Anonymous]

I think it’s a Broadway requirement.