What new COVID-19 rules mean for Bay Area concerts and theater

Venues can let in crowds representing 10-50 percent of capacity, depending on how vaccinations, COVID rates are proceeding.

Indoor theaters and concert venues in the Bay Area will be allowed to reopen as of April 15, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced today.

That means that locals are one step closer to powering down the Zoom video and enjoying plays and live music in person. But it’s a complicated step that depends in part on the state’s vaccination drive continuing to deliver solid progress.

Venues that are allowed to offer live performances will need to operate at limited capacity — corresponding to the what color tier their county is in regarding COVID-19 economic recovery system. And the venues that can most take advantage of the new guidelines will be those that can prove they have limited their audiences to those who have been tested or vaccinated for COVID-19.

The news came as part of the updates to the state’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy reopening framework, which were announced Friday.

“Today’s update to the Blueprint for a Safer Economy is a result of the progress we are making both in vaccinations and in controlling the spread of COVID-19,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency. “By following public health guidelines such as wearing masks and getting vaccinated when eligible, we can resume additional activities as we take steps to reduce risk.”

Some arts organizations applauded the move, while still keeping their eyes set on reopening much later in the year. That’s especially true for theater companies, which typically need months of planning and preparation to put on a major show.

“We have been art-starved for over a year, so this is certainly a step in the right direction,” said Broadway San Jose General Manager Gretchen Feyer. “Although we aren’t able to open our doors in the immediate future, we do look forward to inviting patrons back in the fall.”

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley Executive Director Phil Santora says that the company is “encouraged by the progress detailed in this new guidance.”

“Like so many, we cannot wait to come together in person again to share the magic of live theatre” says Santora, noting that TheatreWorks plans to return to in-person indoor theater in the fall. “The core of all of our plans for the fall will continue be the health and safety of our audience, our artists, and every single member of the TheatreWorks community.“

The news comes after a tough year for arts organizations, of course. Opera San José General Director Khori Dastoor says the company has “spent the past year creating new ways to present opera to our audiences.”

“We have also spent many, many hours envisioning our return to live performances – which has all been contingent on waiting to learn what audience capacity we will be allowed to accommodate, how seating will be organized, and other issues such as verifying vaccination status,” she says. “All that may change again in the coming months, but we DO know that one way or another we will be back, creating live opera on stage at the California Theatre.”

The reopening comes much earlier than some arts companies expected.

“We did not expect to be in theaters until mid-November,” Smuin Ballet Artistic Director Celia Fushille says. “Covering the myriad costs and additional staff to screen patrons with reduced capacity will create financial challenges and we continue to monitor guidelines. All this is certainly keeping us on our toes!”

As far as live music goes, fans start might want to want a while before making plans to rush off to your favorite local venue, given that most major concert promoters have long held that it’s not feasible to operate venues at limited capacity.

Live Nation, the world’s biggest concert promoter and operator of Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View and other Bay Area venues, said in a statement that “events will require regular capacity to really function.”

Similarly, Dennis Dennehy of powerhouse promoter AEG, which puts on shows at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, Oakland Arena among other Bay Area venues, said that the company is focused on “100% capacity for our return to business.”

And we are a long way away from allowing 100 capacity capacity.

Still, smaller, independently operated music venues were happy to hear the news from the CDPH.

“The new guidelines released today give us much needed guidance on how live music can begin to come back to our venue,” Aaron Johnson, talent buyer for the Sweetwater Music Hall in Mill Valley. “For smaller venues like Sweetwater our profit margins are incredibly tight, so this will help us to best plan what kinds of events we can put on as we work towards a full reopening.”

Here’s how the new rules work:

For indoor venues that hold up to 1,500 people, crowd capacity will be limited to 10 percent — or a maximum of 100 people — if they are located in the red tier. That capacity increases to 25 percent if all guests are COVID tested or can show proof that they have been fully vaccinated.

For venues in the orange tier, capacity goes up to 15 percent — or a maximum of 200 people. The capacity increases to 35 percent if guests are all tested or can show proof of being fully vaccinated.

In the yellow tier, venues can operate at 25 percent — or a maximum of 300 people — and capacity increases to 50 percent if guests are tested or show proof of full vaccination.

For larger venues, with a capacity of 1,501 or more: Testing or proof of vaccination is required for any site located in the red tier, and capacity is limited to 20 percent.

For venues in the the Orange Tier, capacity is limited to 10 percent — or 2,000 people maximum — and capacity increases to 35 percent if if all guests are tested or show proof of full vaccination.

In the yellow tier, capacity is again limited to 10 percent (2,000 people) but increases to 50 percent if all guests show proof of full vaccination or are tested.

State officials did not specify how ticket-buyers will verify that they have been tested or vaccinated.

There will also be other stipulations for the reopening of these venues, including physical distancing, advance ticket purchases, designated areas for eating and drinking, and attendance limited to in-state visitors for the red, orange and yellow tiers. These activities will not be allowed in the purple tier.

“As we continue to expand vaccine distribution, California is poised for a safe and equitable recovery,” said Dee Dee Myers, Senior Advisor to Governor Newsom and Director of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). “We will continue to work with businesses, arts organizations, community groups and others to open carefully, with health and safety top of mind, so that we never have to go backwards.”