PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Dozens of arts venues in Portland have announced some kind of proof of COVID-19 vaccination requirements for audiences wishing to attend shows, with most offering proof of a negative COVID-19 test as an alternative.
On Wednesday, the Trail Blazers and Rose Quarter announced they will be requiring all guests 12 and older to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or provide proof of negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of any event they are attending. That includes all Blazer games, Winterhawk games and concerts. The requirement begins September 4, coinciding with a Megadeth concert at the Moda Center, and will be in place until further notice. Masks will continue to be required at all times as well.
On Monday, a media release from Portland Center Stage announced the formation of the Portland Performing Arts Vaccine Coalition with nineteen venues requiring audiences to present proof of being fully vaccinated and some accepting proof of negative test results as an alternative.
According to the release, the coalition was formed to prioritize the health and safety of audience members, artists, staff, volunteers and the community at large.
“This coalition shows a strong collaborative effort between so many local arts groups to keep our audiences, artists, students, staff, and volunteers safe and healthy,” Sharon Martell, Portland Center Stage’s Director of Marketing and Communications, told KOIN 6 News over email. “We’ve received a lot of really positive feedback, and the coalition has already grown from 19 to nearly 40. We’ll continue to update the website as new people join: https://pdxartsvax.org.”
The venues and performing arts organizations in the coalition include Portland Center Stage, Artists Repertory Theatre, PHAME, The Portland Ballet, Portland Opera, Portland Shakespeare Project and others. Since the initial announcement Monday, more than a dozen other organizations joined the coalition, including comedy clubs like Kickstand Comedy and CSz Portland, according to its dedicated website, which also went live this week.
Separate from the Performing Arts Vaccine Coalition, it was announced last week that Portland’5 Center for the Arts–which includes five separate venues owned by the city–would require audiences to provide proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or negative COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours for admission.
According to an August 19 media release by regional government Metro, which manages the operations of the five theaters, Portland’5 Center for the Arts will still welcome audiences of all ages, including those 12 and younger who cannot yet be vaccinated. And all five theaters will also require that all employees and guests wear masks indoors.
“Being able to gather as a community is vitally important. So is our community’s health,” said Metro Council President Lynn Peterson, in a prepared statement. “That’s why we’ll be using these two layers of requiring proof of vaccination status or a negative test, plus a requirement for masks inside our venues, to try to offer a safe environment for people to celebrate the arts in our community.”
Portland’5 Center for the Arts facilities include Keller Auditorium, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall and Antoinette Hatfield Hall which houses the Brunish, Winningstad and Newmark theaters.
In addition, also separate from the Performing Arts Vaccine Coalition, McMenamin’s Crystal Ballroom on West Burnside will require proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID test in the last 48 hours, for attendees. The Roseland Theater also requires proof of vaccination or proof of a negative COVID test for audience-goers test within 72 hours of arriving at the venue.
Similar measures are in place at the Wonder Ballroom, Doug Fir Lounge, Aladdin Theater, Revolution Hall, Mississippi Studios, and Holocene.
Below is the entire list of theaters that have joined the Performing Arts Vaccine Coalition, as of August 25:
- The Actors Conservatory
- Artists Repertory Theatre
- Bag&Baggage Productions
- Big Mouth Society
- BodyVox
- Broadway Rose Theatre Company
- Cappella Romana
- Chamber Music Northwest
- CSz Portland – Producers of ComedySportz
- Imago Theatre
- Kickstand Comedy
- Literary Arts
- Live Wire Radio
- Magenta Theater
- Newport Performing Arts Center
- NW Dance Project
- Oregon Repertory Singers
- Oregon Symphony
- PHAME
- The Portland Ballet
- Portland Baroque Orchestra
- Portland Center Stage
- Portland Columbia Symphony
- Portland Opera
- Portland Piano International
- Portland Youth Philharmonic
- Portland Shakespeare Project
- Resonance Ensemble
- Shaking the Tree
- Stumptown Stages
- Theater Vertigo
- Third Angle New Music
- Third Rail Repertory Theatre
- Triangle Productions
- VOXnorthwest Voice Studio
- White Bird