After America Reopens, a Healthy Roadmap for Theater
Comeback stories always make great drama, and the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is already planning one. In collaboration with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the A.R.T. is working on how it and other theaters can re-emerge in the wake of the current health crisis, uniting the community through great art while keeping audiences, performers, and theater staffers safe.
Called âThe Roadmap to Recovery and Resilience for Theater,â the plan is envisioned as a continuously evolving document with ideas and source material relevant to theaters of all levels. It will develop principles and general guidance to address the particular challenges the theater faces because of the pandemic, while adhering to accepted health recommendations and the emergence of new scientific research. Once completed, it will be accessible to all on the A.R.T. website.
The collaboration, between Diane Paulus, the Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director of the A.R.T., and Joseph G. Allen, Chan School assistant professor, began before the pandemic as part of the A.R.T.âs planning for the companyâs new home on Harvardâs Allston campus, Paulus said.
Citing the A.R.T.âs not-for-profit mission âto expand the boundaries of theater,â Paulus had already engaged in discussions with Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership at the Chan School, about concrete ways the companyâs new building and its programming could embody a commitment to public health. Allen, director of the Chan Schoolâs Healthy Buildings program, was part of a think tank advising the architects of the A.R.Tâs center for research and performance about how to make the building healthy…
Read the Full Article at The Harvard Gazette
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