More Pa. theaters, concert venues require COVID-19 vaccines to get in: The right move to help protect everyo – PennLive

As the number of COVID-19 infections continue to rise, despite readily available vaccines, venues in the entertainment business are once again fearing for the future of their businesses. Indoor gathering spaces for dozens or hundreds of people remain a high risk for spreading the virus.

And so many of those entertainment venues in Pennsylvania are starting to set COVID-19 safety requirements that are even more stringent than those recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. Chief among them is requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination, or a negative COVID-19 test, prior to entry.

For Todd Fogdall, president and CEO of the Appell Center for the Performing Arts in York, the decision came from an effort to determine what do we need to do to move our business forward, during this time of great unknown and uncertainty, for both their employees and their customers.

It was a number of things, Fodgall said. It was observing the onset of the Delta variant and the impact of that, and our continual conversations that weve been having. What do we need to be doing for our staff, our artists, our audience members? And at the same time, we have had artists approaching us and saying, This is what we are going to require for us to do the show in your venue.

Singer Ben Folds, for example, had been scheduled to perform at the Appell Center in August, but is one of many artists who now requires all audience members to show proof of vaccination. Fogdall estimates that at least one in four touring artists coming to the Appell Center are asking for the same.

In recent weeks, vaccine requirements were also put in place by artists such as Jason Isbell, who performed in Harrisburg as part of Harrisburg Universitys summer concert series, and acts including Maroon 5 and the Jonas Brothers for their concerts at the Hersheypark Stadium.

Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, which operates the Hersheypark Stadium, Giant Center and Hershey Theatre, doesnt have a policy requiring guests to be vaccinated or to have a negative test. But a Hershey entertainment spokesperson said the company would work with each touring show to abide by their policies if they want to require guests to be vaccinated or tested.

More and more venues are making vaccine requirements their blanket policy.

More than 30 theaters in Philadelphia this week said visitors must now show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. New York Citys Broadway theaters, which reopened this week, all now require proof of vaccination.

Major concert promotion companies Live Nation and AEG Presents ask the same of audiences at their venues or festivals. And the same steps are being taken nationwide, from Minnesota to Arizona.

Fogdall said the concert with Ben Folds was able to be rescheduled to a date after the company was ready to require vaccines for every show. That policy went into place on Sept. 15.

That was definitely a big eye opener for us, he said. And if we do not institute these kinds of policies, theyre going to be canceled, or events are going to have to be rescheduled. And we in the performing arts business, and our audiences, are very tired of events being rescheduled. Its not a very sound business model.

Harrisburgs three theater companies Theatre Harrisburg, Open Stage and Gamut Theatre have all instituted their own vaccine requirements for patrons. So too has the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra.

We wanted to ensure that we were doing everything we could, to do our part in helping stop the spread of COVID-19, said Alison Reed Fry, director of marketing and administration at Theatre Harrisburg. And so in looking at Broadway, as well as other local theatre groups and the community overall, we thought it was the right move to help protect everyone.

Fry added that as a community theater, the board and staff of Theatre Harrisburg felt that we have to make sure that were actually protecting the community.

The same vaccine requirements apply to the staff and volunteers at both Theatre Harrisburg and the Appell Center.

Some exceptions exist at nearly all venues usually, for those too young to get the vaccine, or for those with suppressed immune systems. A negative COVID-19 test is generally the alternative offered those people. And at nearly all indoor venues, some version of a mask requirement remains, either for the unvaccinated or for the entire audience, except when eating or drinking.

As with all COVID-19 mitigation measures, the issue is likely to remain divisive along partisan political lines. But thus far, Fry said, the Theatre Harrisburg audience has largely responded to the new rules with relief. Those in favor of the vaccine requirement have thus far outnumbered those who oppose it.

Ive got a lot of resounding positive feedback from the community, thanking us for protecting everyone, she said. Very little negative feedback at all. Truly, it was a very positive reinforcement to why we made this decision.

At the Appell Center, Fogdall said that its pretty much been a wash in terms of positive and negative response.

While a small number now refuse to attend and have demanded refunds, an equal number have specified that the new requirements have convinced them to buy tickets when they werent sure before.

When we first announced this, there were definitely vocal members of our patronage who were not happy about the policy, Fogdall said. We have also heard positive comments and very supportive comments. People say, Well, this gives me a lot more confidence in attending, and spending two hours sitting 500 to 1,000 other people. So weve we very much have heard both.

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More Pa. theaters, concert venues require COVID-19 vaccines to get in: The right move to help protect everyo - PennLive