I am not throwing away my shot!
When my husband said he got tickets to see Hamilton at the Pantages Theatre in LA for his birthday, my first reaction was – who are you and what have you done with my ER-nurse husband?
As a family we have been very safe with how we are handling the COVID-19 pandemic. My husband sees COVID patients dying everyday at work. We were among the first to be vaccinated, but the Delta variant has us very nervous again.
Despite yearning to be in a theatre again, I have not auditioned for shows that have come up, or gone to see any theatre. So I wasn’t feeling ready to go into a huge audience.
However, the Pantages (and the requirements set for theatres of this size) set my mind at (at least somewhat of) ease. All audience members were required to not only wear masks the entire time, but to also show proof of vaccination upon entering the building.
No one could see, but I had a huge smile under my mask. A packed house of theatre people who believe in science and care enough to get the vaccine and wear masks for two-and-a-half hours. There was no complaining, just appreciation.
When the show started, you could tell we had all missed live theatre. Everytime a new cast member came out throughout the show they had to pause for ~30 seconds before continuing the scene/song as the audience gave resounding applause.
I felt like people were kinder than usual, even as they got in long restroom lines. We had all craved this communal experience.
I encourage you – DON’T THROW AWAY YOUR SHOT, of getting the vaccine and any boosters as they come out. We are not out of the woods yet, as far at this pandemic, and people are still getting sick. Despite the fact that you can still get (a different variant of) COVID even if you are vaccinated, the great majority (over 90%) of people getting COVID and going ot the hospital are those unvaccinated, AND they are the ones having greater complications and dying. I am not a doctor, but the brilliant ones that know how this virus works have proven how to prevent transmission. Please, please, mask up, vax up, so we can get back to theatre as we knew it.
My glimpse of what can be reminded me what we are working towards.
I hope we can all be in the theatre together again soon. No virus in sight.
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