Dragon Theatre Announces Safety Precautions Taken Due to COVID-19

Dragon will continue most shows and classes as scheduled. The company has released the following statement regarding safety precautions being taken:

As the COVID-19 situation rapidly evolves and develops, we wanted to write to our Dragon Family with another update.

Consistent with our previous note to our community on March 10, we are still planning for most of our shows and classes to go on. We are currently in discussions with some of our producing partners to see how they feel about performing in the future so this will be an ongoing discussion. Please check the website for updates on specific performances.

While shows will continue to go on, we are going to begin taking more radical measures, in line with the California Department of Public Health guidelines, in order to keep our community safe.

Here is what we have already been doing:

• Sanitizing public areas at least once daily before every show with Clorox type products.

• Making hand sanitizers and tissue available in the lobby for as long as possible with limited supplies worldwide.

• Implementing policies to limit our front of house staff's physical contact with patrons, including providing gloves.

• Encouraging patrons to take standard health precautions, including frequent hand-washing, and covering coughs or sneezes with a disposable tissue or the inside of their elbow.

• Asking patrons who feel ill to stay home and exchanging tickets for a later date or a show later in the season.

• Only serving concessions that are hermetically sealed.

In addition to the above, we are now doing the following:

• A reduction of our theatre seating capacity.

• A buffer seat protocol, with posted suggested guidelines for our theatre in the lobby.

• Mandatory use of gloves by Dragon staff.

• Front of House policies to turn away any patrons exhibiting any visible signs of illness and exchanging their tickets.

• The adult playwrighting class will move to an online forum. Guidance on that to come from Justine, our Director of Education as we are working out the details.

The fact of the matter is that we need the arts, more than ever, in these difficult times to process the world around us and to find common ground from which we can begin talking about the challenges we must face together as a society. The Dragon is committed to providing a space for all the members of the Dragon Family to keep building community and supporting one another through these challenging times.

While we continue to monitor the situation closely and adjust our policies and procedures to follow safety guidelines, we are also beginning to brainstorm ways to adapt and serve you best in the event that this becomes our new normal for a longer haul than the next month or two. Even a limited disruption like this means that we will also need our community's support more than ever.

The reality for Dragon is that we need $12,000 a month for just rent alone. This doesn't even begin to cover things like utilities, our small staff payroll, or artist fees. That's a real struggle in a good month and takes a combination of ticket sales and charitable giving to achieve. If you aren't comfortable coming to an event, but want to keep arts strong on the Peninsula, please consider financially supporting us with a donation.

During this period where we're unable to host as many of you at the theatre, we will be relying even more on the generosity of our Dragon Family. Perhaps you too can help keep this community hub alive through these tough times by pitching in a few dollars you are saving this month by working from home. We are setting up a fundraiser on Facebook today, or you can give via our website at https://dragonproductions.net/donate/ If you have tickets to a show and don't feel comfortable with coming, you can convert your ticket to a donation by emailing info@dragonproductions.net

Thank you for being part of our family, and we will see you at the theatre!

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