After closing for an extended period earlier this year due to the pandemic, the Arts Centre reopened this week and started its autumn season with a three-part production called Choices performed by the Jersey Amateur Dramatic Club.
The show consists of a trio of one-act comedies linked by the theme of old age and will be running every night until Saturday with limited seating capacity of about 40, well below the usual maximum of 250.
David Scott, business manager of the JADC, said the opening night was a success and that he was glad to see the club return to the stage after such a long time.
‘It was fantastic. We had almost a full house,’ Mr Scott said. ‘Although the atmosphere wasn’t quite the same with fewer people, I think the crowd was aware it was a special occasion, being the first performance in six months, so that made up for the smaller audience.
‘I think there was some nervousness around coming to the theatre in the current circumstances. But speaking to people afterwards they were applauding the Arts Centre on how safe they were made to feel – they have done a really great job with all the safety measures.’
The Arts Centre will continue to hold live performances over the coming months while adhering to strict Covid-19 guidelines. These include physically distanced queuing and seating, hand sanitiser in and around the venue and, where possible, shorter performances with no intervals.
‘It’s good to see and it took a while to get there,’ said Mr Scott. ‘I suspect with the size of the audiences it may be difficult to get UK production companies over, so it is most likely we will see local organisations and artists. But overall it was encouraging and we kicked things off for the autumn season.’
Seats for shows are limited and advanced booking is recommended. Those interested in booking should visit artscentre.je.
