A student scenic, building and painting the set.
*Photo Credit:* *The Beacon Players*

Winter performances are ramping up in the Pete and Toshi Seeger Theatre in the Beacon High School. From student choral and band concerts, to performances by the Beacon Players, to more theatrical performances from outside groups. Last year in the Spring, performances were held outdoors. How will the Beacon City School District handle the performances now? Beacon’s Superintendent Dr. Matt Landahl provided an update during the 11/8/2021 Board of Education Meeting.

Performances will be inside, General Admission seating, with the auditorium at 50% capacity. The audiences will be masked up. The performers themselves have voluntarily opted to wear clear masks as they have done before, Deputy Superintendent Ann Marie Quartironi confirmed when former Poughkeepsie Journal reporter and current Board of Education member Craig Wolf asked.

The first 2 rows of seating will be blocked off to keep the performers safe. Attendees who come in families or groups will sit together, Dr. Landahl explained. "The ushures will be trained or know what to do to get everyone into the theater in a safe way.” Dr. Landahl noted that these protocols follow what other districts are doing in the area. “I commend our staff for bringing this together. Inside, and back in the theater where they belong,” he said. “A lot of these efforts are this 'return to normal,' like in the theater, or to get it as close to it as we can, and to keep kids in school more.”

These protocols will also cover when the theater is used by an outside group.

There was no mention of if vaccine status would be required.