A St Albans entertainment venue has been awarded a See It Safely mark in recognition of its work to make its theatre space COVID safe for audiences and staff.
Abbey Theatre has joined a growing number of venues across the country to be awarded the mark.
Theatre manager Tina Swain said: “We are members of UK Theatre who, together with the Society of London Theatre, have launched this project.
“The mark certifies that we are complying with the latest Government and industry COVID-19 guidelines, to ensure the safety of our staff and audiences.”
Theatres and performing arts venues across the UK are displaying the mark, which aims to give audiences the confidence to return to see live performances.
Tina said: “Being granted this award is about more than our hygiene, risk assessments and social distancing measures being approved.
“We also promise to exchange tickets, subject to availability, up to 24 hours prior to a performance in the event of a member of your household feeling unwell.”
The theatre manager added: “Please be patient if you call or email to exchange tickets, as our opening hours are limited due to COVID restrictions.”
Staffing the box office is another challenge volunteers at the Abbey Theatre in Holywell Hill have had to overcome.
The month-long lockdown has prevented them from coming into the building, so a small team of operators have been handling customer calls from home.
Stuart Barry, who deals with the theatre’s IT, said: “Thank goodness we changed to a digital phone system at the end of August.
“This means that calls can be redirected to volunteers’ home phones and we can log in securely to our cloud-based box office system from our own computers.”
You can read more about the measures in place at www.abbeytheatre.org.uk/visit/covid-19-frequently-asked-questions/ where you can find out what you need to know before your visit.
The Company of Ten’s upcoming Christmas production at the Abbey Theatre is the heartwarming Frances Hodgson Burnett story The Secret Garden.
The perfect family show for Christmas will be an on-stage and live-streamed event available between December 19 and December 30.
To book tickets go to www.abbeytheatre.org.uk or call 01727 857861.
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