71st Season Update

TAP Changes its Spring 2022 Show

As you may know from experience, producing shows in the “new normal” presents exciting opportunities to be back in action and producing live theater productions that we have all missed for the past year or more, but it also presents new guidelines that we must adhere to in order to keep our production teams safe. Now that we are well into our production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, we are getting a feel for these new safety guidelines firsthand, such as county mandated capacity restrictions in our rehearsal space and mask requirements for all actors on stage. 

We understand how important these new rules are in creating a physically safe environment for us to produce our art, and we stand by these decisions that keep our production team safe; we also understand that these rules have implications, especially when considering the large needs of Singin’ in the Rain. 

With current capacity restrictions in our rehearsal spaces, we cannot have the entire cast in the same room with the director, music director and stage managers. Further, we couldn’t add the orchestra for a sitzprobe, or any designers for a run through so that they could prepare their elements in time for tech week. 

Due to other COVID protocols the board has enacted for the safety of TAP members working on the show, anyone waiting to see if they test positive would have to miss rehearsals, and virtual rehearsals for a musical are not practical. With eight weeks to rehearse, the potential of cast members missing significant blocks of time is too great a risk to ensure the quality of the show on opening night. 

Lastly, the mask requirement in our performance space creates a potential hazard for the cast. Because actors are required to be masked at all times even when performing, a dance-heavy show like Singin’ in the Rain could be potentially dangerous for actors who are not able to catch their breath. Masks also deny the audience the pay off from the final kiss between Don and Kathy at the end of the show marking the happy ending everyone expects.

With all that said, the TAP Board has made the decision to move Singin’ in the Rain to the Spring 2023 slot. Though we are disappointed, we believe that this is the best decision for the health and safety of this production, and we are excited to produce this show in the style it deserves when the conditions are more favorable.

Director John Monnett responded to this news saying, “I applaud the board making this courageous decision to postpone, and not letting the desire to return to the stage sooner than is practical compromise the artistic quality of the show. My team and I are committed to using this additional time to ensure the final result in 2023 is the Singin’ in the Rain TAP audiences deserve and expect”.

Though you will not be able to see Singin’ in the Rain this spring, we are pleased to announce that TAP is partnering with the Little Theatre of Alexandria (LTA) to produce a Night of One Acts for the Spring 2022 slot. This new set of shows directly aligns with our updated Mission, Vision, and Values, and we are excited to continue producing epic and artistically challenging theater through these brand new works. We are thrilled to bring new art to life with the TAP technical excellence that we all expect and love. This is a brand new venture for us, and we see this as an exciting opportunity to bring in new directors, technicians, actors, and artists into the TAP family. If you would like to help us in this first-ever collaboration effort, we’d be happy to talk with you in more detail. If you’re interested in joining us on this new adventure, please email steward@thearlingtonplayers.org - we’d be thrilled to have you!

Thank you for your continued support of TAP and the art that we all create together. We can’t wait to see many of you at A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and look forward to your feedback on and your engagement with our premier TAP/LTA Night of One Acts collaboration project.