'We're ready for it': Bedford Playhouse to reopen May 28 at 33% capacity

The curtain will rise on May 28 at Bedford Playhouse after it was closed for over a year due to the pandemic.

News 12 Staff

Apr 6, 2021, 9:16 PM

Updated 1,360 days ago

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The curtain will rise on May 28 at Bedford Playhouse after it was closed for over a year due to the pandemic.
Executive Director Michael Hoagland believes they’re ready to reopen to the public.
"We're ready for it. I think our community is,” says Hoagland. “We've had a lot of calls from senior citizens who call us and say, 'I've been vaccinated, when can I come back to the movies?'"
The popular theater reopened briefly in October before shutting down three weeks later, when COVID-19 numbers increased. 
"We have been able to survive on donations up to this point, which has been great because we have an amazing community,” says Hoagland. “But it’s been tough, has been a long winter."
The theater will operate at 33% capacity when it reopens the Friday before Memorial Day.
Safety protocols include mandatory face mask usage and ordering tickets ahead of showtime. A new cleaning procedure was also implemented.
"At the beginning of the day, the entire facility gets cleaned. As soon as the theater gets loaded, the entire facility gets cleaned again,” says Hoagland.
In the summer months, theatre officials tell News 12 entertainment will be offered outdoors with pop-up movies on a big screen. Outdoor concerts are also on the schedule.
"We're doing concert series outside, we’re doing a Broadway in Bedford series starting in May,” says Hoagland.
News 12 is told the in-house restaurant reopened on April 2.