The Civic Center Music Hall Reopens to a New Normal on October 17, 2020
The Civic Center Foundation announces the return of live performances to the Civic Center Music Hall, beginning October 17, 2020, with an Oklahoma City Philharmonic Classics concert. The move to reopen comes after a seven-month intermission as stages across the country went dark due to the COVID–19.
"The decision to reopen at this time was not taken lightly. Our safety plan was vetted by the Foundation’s board members, Civic Center's resident companies, public health authorities, city officials, and subject matter experts. We appreciate the cooperative input from all our stakeholders working together to create the safest possible environment for patrons, staff, and performers. We committed to a safety-first approach to COVID-19 early on in this pandemic and will continue to monitor the day to day changes and do the right thing." said Elizabeth Gray, Executive Director of the Civic Center Foundation.
While recognizing that it is impossible to make any environment completely safe, the Civic Center Foundation is committed to ensuring the safest, most enjoyable experience possible for theatergoers. The new policies and procedures for events at the Civic Center Music Hall and the Hudiburg Performing Arts Center include additional sanitizing of our facilities, temperature checks upon arrival, masks requirements, and social distancing. Additionally, plexiglass dividers have been added at our food and beverage locations. We are only accepting credit or debit cards for payment. No snacks will be served - only beverages in containers with lids. The Foundation has added a ticketing assurance policy and will always work with patrons if events are rescheduled, canceled, or if individuals are in a high-risk group or feeling ill. For more information on the ticket assurance policy or the patron safety measures, please visit www.okcciviccenter.com.
In 2018, the Foundation took over full operations and management of the Civic Center Music Hall. Gray went on to say, "Consequently, this pandemic has hit us particularly hard as we are responsible for all losses incurred with the venue. Traditionally, partners such as Paycom have been a critical source of support. We are profoundly thankful to all our patrons, sponsors, and suite holders for their continued generosity. There is growing evidence that theaters can reopen safely with strict safety protocols and in an incremental process. Although performances might look different this year, the resident companies are preparing to present the same quality performances Oklahomans have come to know and love! We look forward to raising our curtains again and seeing you at the show."
The Civic Center Foundation is innately aware of the importance of a safe and successful reopening of the Civic Center for all the resident companies and the hundreds who rely on live performances for their livelihood. The Civic Center Music Hall represents an annual economic impact of $40 million to Oklahoma City, making it vital to our economy. The Civic Center Music Hall is home to Oklahoma City's premier performing arts organizations, including Canterbury Voices, Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City Ballet, OKC Broadway, Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre, and Painted Sky Opera. Additionally, it hosts multiple one-off live performances serving over a million 200,000 patrons annually.