COVID-19 Updates

October 5, 2021

We will be performing a Bare Bones staged reading of The Birds in person at Unity Somerville on Friday, November 5th at 8pm. All audience members are required to wear masks while in the building and to provide proof of vaccination at the door. Donations will be either in cash (no change) or through PayPal on your mobile phone.

August 15, 2021

With the increasing spread of the Delta variant, public guidelines and community feeling have been changing rapidly. Theatre@First has postponed our planned fall production of Eurydice and cancelled those auditions. Auditions for the Bare Bones staged reading of The Birds are moving online and the performance rescheduled for Friday, November 5th. We encourage you to join our mailing list to receive regular updates regarding all of our productions and programs.

July 30, 2021

Theatre@First is returning to live performance on July 30th with Bare Bones: Mere Mortals at Unity Somerville. Based on updated guidance from the City of Somerville, we will be requesting that all audience members wear a mask at this performance. Hand sanitizer, soap, and disinfectant wipes are available in each restroom. Please continue to exercise caution as it applies to your individual situation and comfort level. We look forward to seeing you again!

July 12, 2021

With the number of cases in Massachusetts holding at very low levels and the percentage of vaccinated people rising, Massachusetts has lifted all pandemic-related restrictions and Theatre@First is returning to live performance on July 30th with Bare Bones: Mere Mortals at Unity Somerville. For this performance we are encouraging anyone who is not vaccinated to wear a mask. We welcome anyone who feels more comfortable wearing a mask to do so. Hand sanitizer, soap, and disinfectant wipes are available in each restroom. Please continue to exercise caution as it applies to your individual situation and comfort level. We look forward to seeing you again!

June 3, 2020

Theatre@First is sad to announce that all mainstage performances have been canceled for the remainder of the 2020 calendar year. While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to make it unsafe to gather together in person, we will not let this stop us from bringing the joy of theatre to our community virtually. We will continue to celebrate the arts through a variety of online special projects and events. We encourage you to like our Facebook page and join our community group. Please watch our website for announcements and subscribe to our newsletter for monthly updates.

April 13, 2020

Theatre@First is committed to playing our part to support the well-being of our community in these times of social distancing. Our leadership continues to monitor the coronavirus situation and make decisions based first and foremost on the health and safety of our actors and production staff. We're excited about what we have planned for 2020 and hope to be able to bring you, our audience, entertaining and thought-provoking live theatre in some form as the year rolls on, but we absolutely will not "reopen for business" until it is safe to do so.

Just because we can't put on traditional shows in traditional spaces, that doesn't mean we're sitting on our heels! We've got plenty of ideas in the works for ways to keep the arts alive in Somerville and beyond. We're looking into ways to live-stream our performances. Our reading groups, which once might have met in someone's living room, are now happening over video conferencing. We're doing everything we can to prepare for the point at which we will be able to put on live productions again. And of course, the organization rolls on, preparing for our annual election cycle and keeping the proverbial lights on.

We can't wait until we're able to gather again to bring you the unique experience of live theatre, but we hope you'll come along and explore the possibilities that are open to us now. As always, please watch this website as well as our social media for the latest updates.

Thank you for your continuing support and engagement with Theatre@First.

March 11, 2020

As we all know, the COVID-19 coronavirus is spreading rapidly throughout the US, including our area. With a state of emergency in place in Massachusetts and guidance from the City of Somerville on large gatherings, many groups are canceling events, programs, and meetings. It is certainly a difficult time to know what is necessary to keep ourselves healthy.

After much consideration, Theatre@First has decided that the safest course of action is to cancel our production of Eurydice this spring. The choice to do so was not taken lightly and has been made with everyone's health and safety in mind. We're all disappointed, but we must do our part to stop the spread of the coronavirus throughout our communities. We hope to reschedule this production after the virus has run its course and that you will all be able to join us then.

We are keeping an eye on the public health community and their guidance and response to this evolving situation. We hope to go on with the remainder of our planned 2020 production schedule. In the meanwhile, we wish you all a safe and healthy spring, and encourage you to watch this website and join our mailing list for updates on future productions.

If you need more information, please visit the webpages for the national Centers for Disease Control, Massachusetts, and Somerville.