What will seeing a show be like once Illinois raises the COVID-19 curtain on theaters?
People go to theaters to share the experience of watching a movie, play, concert or dance recital with dozens or even hundreds of other people, sitting in rows of tightly-packed seats, laughing, crying, screaming, cheering, singing and swaying to the music.
In other words, the opposite of what health experts recommend during a pandemic.
But some metro-east theater operators are making plans to reopen in late June or early July with major changes, expecting the state to move into Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan to restart the economy after a three-month coronavirus shutdown.
“We have been very, very actively working on a plan for reopening,” said Mari Randa, spokeswoman for Marcus Theatres, which operates O’Fallon Cinema and St. Clair Value Cinema in Fairview Heights. “What that will look like ... It’s probably still too soon to say because of all the factors. It’s so ever-changing. There are definitely going to be enhanced practices put in place for the new theater experience.”
Phase 4 of the state’s plan tentatively limits social gatherings to 50 people, but detailed guidelines and restrictions for theaters haven’t yet been released.
Marcus has experimented with drive-in options at two of its 91 locations in Omaha, Nebraska, and Brookfield, Wisconsin, projecting movies on 42-foot screens on the sides of buildings while moviegoers sit in cars. The company calls it “Parking Lot Cinema.”
“The response has been extremely positive,” Randa said.
‘Dynamic’ seating coming to Lincoln
Dave and Sandy Schoenborn, owners of the Lincoln Theatre, an historic movie house in downtown Belleville that also hosts several concerts a year, already have upgraded their ticketing software to do “dynamic” reserved seating.
“If you have a family of five, you can reserve five seats, if they’re available, and then it automatically blocks the seats around you, according to whatever the state guidelines are,” Dave Schoenborn said. “We just have to wait for those guidelines so we can program in the parameters, and then we’ll probably have to measure our seats to determine whether you need people to be two or three seats apart.”
The software also allows moviegoers to order and pay for popcorn, candy and soda in advance to avoid handling credit cards or cash at the theater.
The Schoenborns volunteered to serve on a statewide committee this month to advise state officials on factors to consider while developing COVID-19 restrictions for theaters. They wanted them to hear the viewpoint of a small independent company.
At the Lincoln, employees will do extra cleaning and sanitizing, and they probably will be required to wear face coverings.
As for moviegoers, “The speculation is, when you come in and you’re dealing with other people in close proximity, maybe they’re going to recommend masks, but once you’re in your seats, they would be optional,” Dave Schoenborn said.
The Lincoln will lose money from ticket sales because of smaller audiences and from concession sales during its free summer movie program, which packs the theater with children two mornings a week. That program is temporarily suspended.
“At limited capacity, it’s still going to be very financially difficult for us,” Schoenborn said.
Wildey concerts may not be cost-effective
Both Schoenborn and Al Canal, manager of the historic Wildey Theatre in downtown Edwardsville, note that it will be easier to show movies than host concerts with smaller audiences because of the costs involved in paying bands, operating sound equipment and providing other services.
In some cases, live shows might not be cost-effective.
“In a place like this, you can’t do much with 50 people,” Canal said. “... I’ll just have to see what the restrictions are and then adapt to them. If it makes sense for us to do something, we will 100% do it. If it doesn’t, we won’t. That’s all we can do.”
The Wildey, which is owned by the city of Edwardsville, has been forced to postpone about 30 concerts and private parties and stop showing Tuesday night movies due to the coronavirus.
The theater will go ahead with a June 26 show by Mr. Blue Sky, a St. Louis-based Electric Light Orchestra tribute band that will perform on stage without an audience and livestream the concert on Facebook.
“It’s good for the musicians,” Canal said. “They have been good friends of the Wildey based on their performances here before, and it gives our patrons some really nice entertainment. It also keeps the awareness of the Wildey Theatre going.”
Canal hopes to start booking small parties in the theater’s two event spaces soon.
The Edge is waiting for state guidelines
Keith Schell and his wife, Mary Dahm-Schell, aren’t sure how reopening will proceed at their entertainment complex, The Edge, which includes a movie theater but also go karts, bumper cars, laser tag, arcades, bowling and virtual-reality games.
Mainly, they’re waiting to find out what will be the state guidelines and restrictions.
“The entertainment industry as a whole has been largely ignored, both federally and statewide, in terms of guidelines,” Keith Schell said. “We don’t know what they’re going to be for theaters. We don’t know what they’re going to be for restaurants (in Phase 4). If we have to operate at a 25% capacity, we can’t open. That would not make sense because we would be losing so much money.”
In recent weeks, the Schells have been remodeling to allow for social distancing and better ventilation at The Edge. On Friday, they’re opening their new patio for D.S. Vespers outdoor dining, which is allowed during Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois plan.
Another challenge is figuring out how to deal fairly with employees, who would lose unemployment benefits if asked to return, even if it’s for less money. Schell hasn’t been happy about federal leadership during the pandemic, but he praises the city of Belleville.
“Our city has been great,” he said. “They’ve been really good about communicating. They’ve been good about easing restrictions to help the restaurant industry.”
Looking Glass performs Zoom musical
The metro-east has several community theaters, where local residents stage plays and musicals. The board that oversees one of the most established, Looking Glass Playhouse in Lebanon, had to cancel its final performances of “It’s Only a Play” in March and reschedule its spring musical, “Rock of Ages,” for September due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The theater has replaced its annual children’s show with a Zoom musical called “The Big One-Oh! Online Edition” to be performed June 25, 26 and 27 by more than 20 kids who auditioned and rehearsed online.
“It’s been a fascinating process,” said board Vice President Gigi Dowling Urban. “As a director, I move people through space, but when your space is a tiny Zoom box, you learn how to communicate meaning and character in a very different way.”
The public can buy $5 tickets ($15 for a family) on the website and get a link to a YouTube Live performance, available for viewing on computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones.
The board will decide on a show-by-show basis if it’s feasible to reopen the theater for other productions, such as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in August, “Rock of Ages” in September, “Lend Me a Tenor” in November and “A Christmas Carol” in December.
Perhaps the biggest factor is how many people the state will allow in the theater. If the limit is 50 and a play has a cast of 25 actors, that presumably would cap the number of audience members at 25.
“One of the big differences between a live theater and a movie theater is the fact that there may be more people at risk,” Urban said. “The act of singing would be similar to coughing or sneezing in terms of the way that the virus (droplets are) projected.”
Looking Glass audience members would likely be required to wear masks, but Urban isn’t sure about actors and singers. “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” cast has considered getting face coverings made to match their costumes.
AMC to open most U.S. theaters in July
Last week, a filing by AMC Entertainment Holdings acknowledged the possibility of a bankruptcy filing because of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on its finances. The company, which is controlled by the Dalian Wanda Group in China, operates about 1,000 movie theaters worldwide, including Edwardsville 12 and Classic Eastgate 6 in East Alton.
On Tuesday, the company announced that it planned to reopen “almost all” of its theaters in the United States and Britain in July. Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” and Disney’s “Mulan” will be among the first movies screened.
“We have a very robust slate for the remainder of the year, including ‘Unhinged,’ ‘Saint Maud,’ ‘Antebellum,’ ‘Spongebob Square Pants,’ ‘Wonder Woman 1984,’ ‘A Quiet Place II,’ ‘The King’s Man,’ ‘Black Widow,’ ‘Soul,’ ‘Dune,’ ‘West Side Story’ and ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ among others,” according to a news release.
AMC also is making plans related to personal protective equipment, cleaning protocols, limited capacities, blocked seating and high-tech procedures such as electrostatic sprayers, HEPA vacuums and upgraded MERV 13 air-ventilation systems where possible.
“Our top priorities remain the safety and well-being of our guests and associates, combined with our taking sweeping actions to preserve the long-term viability of AMC Entertainment,” CEO Adam Aron stated in the release.
The operators of Granite City Cinema couldn’t be reached for comment.
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 12:13 PM.
