Gabriola Players takes the health and safety of its cast, crew and audience members extremely seriously. As we discovered to our cost during an unmasked rehearsal for our 2022 One-Act Play Festival, the pandemic is still very much with us.
This page sets out the infectious disease protection policies Gabriola Players has adopted for rehearsals and performances. “Everyone” in the following means “everyone”: cast, crew, directors, visitors… everyone. Where there are exceptions they are explicitly noted.
To understand why we remain concerned, please read this document, The Threats Remain, prepared by board member Tom Radcliffe.
Rehearsals and performances
General guideline: “Masked if necessary, but not necessarily masked,” where “necessary” means the three C’s: Crowds, Closed-in (poorly ventilated) spaces, being in Close (< 1m) face-to-face Contact.
1) At all indoor rehearsals except the dress, N95 masks will be worn by everyone at all times.
2) At indoor dress rehearsals and during indoor performances the cast will be unmasked. Crew members will remain N95 masked throughout.
3) At all indoor rehearsals and performances CO2 will be monitored.
4) Ventilation will be maintained—by opening windows/doors or other means–at all indoor rehearsals and performances to keep the CO2 level below 800 PPM for rehearsals and 1200 PPM for performances, except when an in-room air-cleaner, upper-room UV system, UV-C system, or other engineering mitigation has been implemented in the space and certified as adequate for infection control by an EGBC professional engineer qualified in such practice.
5) At all outdoor rehearsals masks (cloth or N95) or face shields will be worn by anyone speaking who is facing another person within 2 metres.
6) All audience members for indoor performances will wear masks. N95s are strongly preferred but not required. A mask will be provided to anyone who does not have one.
7) Proof of vaccination will not be required for audience members.
8) Tech rehearsal will follow the same rules as ordinary rehearsals except insofar as there are light/sound setup issues that require specific players to unmask for a limited period of time.
9) Outdoor dress and performances can be entirely unmasked: players, crew, audience.
10) Three days prior to dress all players will cease social activities outside their household and encourage anyone sharing their household to do the same.
11) Anyone with symptoms or known exposure will report to the director and stage manager, and test.
12) On the day of the dress, the open, and every two days thereafter, all players will perform a rapid test a few hours prior to call and report to the director and stage manager the result. In the case of a positive test either a stand-in will perform or in the absence of a stand-in the performance will be postponed or cancelled at the Board’s discretion.