A group of 51 Dallas arts and cultural organizations announced Thursday that they have adopted uniform “COVID-19 safety standards” that will determine how and when they can reopen and do so safely. The move makes Dallas the first city in Texas whose large and small arts groups have joined forces to respond to the pandemic in sweeping fashion.
The measure stands in stark contrast to approaches taken by other Texas cities, such as Houston and Fort Worth, where museums in particular have already reopened. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has allowed museums to reopen at 50% capacity, although attendance at most has been less than overwhelming.
Dallas’ 51 — which include such notables as the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center, both shuttered since mid-March — say they enlisted a task force of arts leaders to develop a series of safety guidelines, which were reviewed by Dr. Trish Perl, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
The purpose, they say, is “to assure patrons, staff, artists and volunteers that effective and thoughtful strategies and best practices are being implemented when doors are reopened to the public.”
Thursday’s announcement speaks of reopening guidelines that include building on policies, protocols and requirements set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state, city and county officials. The new guidelines mandate the use of face masks. The 51 say they also intend to enforce social distancing “as a core principle in determining the number of visitors, ticketing, seating and when mapping the patron experience.”
The code of conduct is one patrons must agree to, they note, adding astern warning: “Those that don’t comply will be asked to leave.”
The announcement notes that prereserved or timed entrances and exiting processes will be employed when dealing with large audiences.
And finally, the announcement pledges to work toward low-touch or touch-free ticketing and transactions.
“These guidelines are helping us carefully reopen, so people feel good about coming back — in person — to enjoy the magic of the arts,” said Lily Cabatu Weiss, executive director of the Dallas Arts District. “Despite the hundreds of creative digital offerings that the cultural community has developed during this disruption, we know our audiences yearn for live cultural experiences, for everything from entertainment to inspiration to healing.”
Weiss vowed to institute “a laser focus on doing this safely. So, if it means we have to wait a bit longer, that is fine. Meanwhile, the guidelines are solid, and we are all working now to put them in place.”
So, when will the venues reopen?
It varies wildly. TITAS/Dance Unbound is hoping to open its new season at the Winspear Opera House as early as October. The AT&T Performing Arts Center, which oversees five resident companies in the Dallas Arts District, hopes to stage performances in its outdoor venue, Annette Strauss Square, in September.
For others, it could be even longer. The list of 51 includes such companies as the Dallas Theater Center, which at the moment cannot reopen because Actors’ Equity Association has declared a national moratorium to protect its members. And there is no sign that Actors’ Equity intends to lift it anytime soon. Dallas Summer Musicals, one of the 51, stages touring Broadway shows, which also employ Actors’ Equity performers. The Broadway League, a trade association representing the Broadway theater industry, recently announced that Jan. 3, 2021, is now the earliest date that shows might be allowed to reopen.
Thursday’s announcement is endorsed by arts groups as big as the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and as small as Echo Theatre, and by museums that showcase visual art and others that specialize in history, such as the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum and the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.
The 51 also include the Dallas Office of Arts and Culture, which as a single entity oversees the Majestic Theatre; Moody Performance Hall; the South Dallas Cultural Center; and the Latino Cultural Center.
And there are the Creative Arts Center of Dallas, Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park and even Klyde Warren Park, where people have continued to congregate since the U.S. declared a national emergency March 13.
Thursday’s announcement alludes to the halcyon days before anyone even knew the term COVID-19. Before the onset of the global pandemic — which has infected more than 37,000 people in Dallas County alone and more than 292,000 across Texas — Dallas’ arts community, the announcement notes, “had an annual economic impact of close to $1 billion, supporting 33,000 jobs.”
A survey recently revealed that Dallas arts organizations lost almost $34 million during the first 2½ months of coronavirus-related shutdowns.
The full list of participants:
- Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico
- American Baroque Opera Company
- AT&T Performing Arts Center
- Avant Chamber Ballet
- Beckles Dancing Company
- Bishop Arts Theatre Company
- Bruce Wood Dance
- Chamber Music International
- Children’s Chorus of Greater Dallas
- City of Dallas Office of Arts and Culture (overseeing the Majestic Theatre, Moody Performance Hall, South Dallas Cultural Center and Latino Cultural Center.
- Creative Arts Center of Dallas
- Crow Museum of Asian Art, University of Texas at Dallas
- Cry Havoc Theater Company
- Dallas Arts District Foundation
- Dallas Bach Society
- Dallas Black Dance Theatre
- Dallas Chamber Symphony
- Dallas Children’s Theater
- Dallas Heritage Village at Old City Park
- Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum
- Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture
- Dallas Museum of Art
- The Dallas Opera
- Dallas Summer Musicals
- Dallas Symphony Orchestra
- Dallas Theater Center
- Dance Council of North Texas
- Danielle Georgiou Dance Group
- Echo Theatre
- Fine Arts Chamber Players
- Indique Dance Company
- Junior Players
- Klyde Warren Park
- Lone Star Wind Orchestra
- Lyric Stage
- Ollimpaxqui Ballet
- Orchestra of New Spain
- Orpheus Chamber Singers
- Nasher Sculpture Center
- Perot Museum of Nature and Science
- The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
- Sammons Center for the Arts
- Shakespeare Dallas
- Soul Rep Theatre Company
- Texas Ballet Theater
- TITAS/Dance Unbound
- Turtle Creek Chorale
- Undermain Theatre
- Uptown Players
- Verdigris Ensemble
- The Women’s Chorus of Dallas
