Last updated: Thursday, April 8, 2021

COVID-19/Coronavirus Resources

TAG has created this page as a community service in the interest of providing a safe work environment for our members who choose to attend auditions, participate in shows, or attend theatre during the COVID-19 pandemic.

TAG defers to the medical community’s guidance to assess and inform the community on the situation of the pandemic at any given time. TAG encourages patrons and practitioners to perform their own research and assess their own risk tolerance when considering engaging in or attending theatrical performances during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Performance and Venue Considerations

Here is a listing of COVID-related safety questions and resources for actors to ask when attending an audition. 

  • Will audiences be required to wear masks?
  • Are lobby spaces large enough for six-foot social distancing? Is a formal plan in place to make this happen?
  • Will the theatre be seated at full capacity?
  • Will hand sanitizer be available at the theatre for patrons?
  • Will the theatre utilize extra cleaning staff of the lobby and house throughout the run of the show?
  • Will patrons be seated in the front rows of the house?
  • What measures are being taken to assess the health of audience members before they enter the venue checks (e.g., temperature checks, visual assessments by staff members, self reporting of symptoms, etc.)?
  • Does the performance venue have a ticket exchange/refund policy in place so audience members don’t feel compelled to attend performances for financial reasons?
  • Will any contact tracing measures be utilized to alert patrons who may have been exposed to COVID-19 in the performance venue?
  • Is this production using live music? If so, what measures are being taken to protect musicians (e.g., relocating the pit away from the front of the stage, placing barriers between instrumentalists, isolated dressing/warm-up areas)?
  • Does the venue has a policy in place to encourage social distancing while patrons are using the lobby restrooms?
  • Will the venue serve food and drink before the show and during intermission? Does the venue permit food and drink in the theatre during the show? If so, how will mask use be supervised during this time?

Rehearsal and Performance Considerations

Here is a listing of COVID-related safety questions and resources for actors to ask when attending rehearsals or performing in shows. 

  • How will microphone safety be mitigated? Can you safely secure your own? Can you have the same one each time? How will it be cleaned? By whom?
  • Will masks be required in rehearsals? For performance?
  • Is this a musical? If so, are you also using face shields? Plexiglass?
  • What steps are being taken to protect actors and crews backstage?
  • How are shared hand props being cleaned and sanitized daily?
  • Will social distancing be factored into blocking?
  • Does your venue have individual dressing rooms for the entire cast? If not, how will you separate and sanitize dressing areas?
  • How are costumes and undergarments being laundered after each dress rehearsal and performance?
  • Are there quick changes? How are those being managed?
  • Is makeup being used? Who provides it? It is shared? Can it be applied at home? 
  • What is Green Room space like? Who is there and for how long?
  • Will this production utilize understudies, so that a performer who may come into contact off-site can self-quarantine without feeling compelled to continue in a production?
  • If an entire cast is exposed to COVID-19, what are the venue’s plans for suspending production?
  • If theatre artists are in a paid role (directors, choreographers, actors, designers, technicians, front of house, and administrative staff): what is the venue’s policy for payment if a show is suspended/cancelled due to a COVID-19 outbreak?

Published Policies

This section lists COVID/Coronavirus policies published by area communities.

If your theatre has a published Coronavirus/COVID policy you wish to share here, please email the link to the policy to info@theatreartsguild.com 

General Notes

Theatre Arts Guild Omaha reminds the community of the ongoing threat of the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. Theatre Arts Guild Omaha strongly encourages actors and other participants to weigh the risks of exposure to Coronavirus, and the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control, the Nebraska State Department of Health, and your local county and city health departments when considering auditioning for, performing in, or attending any production.

For more information and updates, please refer to the following resources: