Gamut Theatre in downtown Harrisburg
The show will go on at Gamut Theatre, which is planning a fall season with pandemic-related protocols in place.
Gamut will mount three live productions, beginning with “Chekhov Comedy: Love Hurts!” from Sept. 12 to 27.
“We’ve missed all our patrons terribly and are excited to soon kick off our fall season of live shows,” said Melissa Nicholson, Gamut Theatre’s executive director. “We have put a lot of thought and care into a plan to reopen safely.”
“Chekhov Comedy: Love Hurts!” combines two of Russian writer Anton Chekhov’s stories, “The Boor” and “The Marriage Proposal.” Gamut describes it as a “fast-paced” comedy.
For the reopening, Gamut will put in place a number of health and safety protocols.
First, it will seat audience members within their “cohorts,” meant generally as people who live together. People will be seated as singles, pairs or triples.
Secondly, groups will be seated six feet apart from one another, and the theater will use only 25 percent of its maximum capacity, meaning that just 51 seats will be sold for each date.
Many theaters have challenges not only with reducing possible disease spread among audience members, but also among actors. However, according to Gamut, that is not an issue as its core company actors live in company housing and have been quarantining together.
Gamut also is making adjustments to its pricing policy due to financial hardships caused by the pandemic. The theater suggests a ticket price of $30, but will allow discounted levels of $20 and $10 each.
In October, Gamut will stage “The Zoo Story” by playwright Edward Albee and, in November, “The Adventures of Little Red Riding Hood,” an original story from Gamut’s own Melissa Nicholson and Erin Shellenberger.
Meanwhile, Gamut plans to continue some of the online offerings that it began earlier this year, including TMI Improv Online and virtual programs like “Once Upon Online” and “Gamut Game Room.”
For more information on Gamut’s season, its health and safety protocols and its other offerings, visit www.gamuttheatre.org.
