Bonnie Bishop / Courtesy
Walton Arts Center officials on Wednesday announced plans to host the venue’s first show since March.
The performing arts center will host Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Bonnie Bishop for a socially-distanced performance inside Baum Walker Hall at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10.
The show was originally scheduled for March 21 as part of the West Street Live Series in the Starr Theatre.
The rescheduled show has been moved to the large hall in Baum Walker to allow patrons more room to spread out. Less than 200 tickets to the event will be sold, and there will be a minimum of four empty seats between parties, and every-other-row will remain empty. These empty rows, with select seats removed, will also serve as walkways to seats located in the center of the theater and reduce contact with other patrons seated in that row.
“We surveyed patrons who had tickets to the March show to see how they felt about attending the rescheduled performance in September,” said Jennifer Ross, director of programming for Walton Arts Center. “And the majority said that they would attend with safety protocols in place. Then we reached out to Bonnie, and she was more than happy to have the opportunity to perform. Bonnie’s amazing voice will bring Baum Walker Hall back to life. We can’t wait.”
A few balcony tickets are still available for $32 (plus applicable fees), and can be purchased by calling 479-443-5600 or by visiting waltonartscenter.org.
Additional safety measures
- Patrons will be required to wear face coverings when in the venue, except when consuming food or drink.
- Concessions – including a full bar and beverage menu and pre-packaged snacks – will be available for cashless purchase only.
- Tickets will be emailed to patrons and can be scanned directly from a smartphone to reduce contact. Volunteers will not touch patrons’ phones.
- Bathroom and elevator capacities will be limited and monitored.
- Plexiglass shields have been added to all transaction points including the box office and concessions.
- The venue will be cleaned and disinfected before and after each event. In addition to our typical cleaning practices staff will be wiping down commonly touched surfaces and using disinfectant foggers in the theater and seating area.
- Doors to Walton Arts Center and to the theater will open 45 minutes prior to the scheduled show time. Patrons are encouraged to purchase concessions and use the restrooms when they arrive and then proceed directly to their seats to reduce congregating in the lobby and traffic in the aisles.
- Staff members and volunteers will have their temperature checked each time they arrive for work, wear face coverings when interacting with performers, the public or each other and are required to wash their hands or use hand sanitizer at least once every hour while at work.
For a list of additional health and safety precautions that will be in place for this and future performances at Walton Arts Center visit waltonartscenter.org.
