operational HIGHLIGHTS

EVAN? INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

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Covid Response

The 2021/22 Season saw the Grand, with all other live entertainment organizations, navigating fluctuating capacity restrictions, provincially-mandated closures, health and safety protocols, and multi-step reopening, culminating in a return to full capacity in April 2022.

Staff, Artists and Volunteers followed standardized vaccination and masking protocols throughout the entirety of the 21/22 Season, whereas Artists participated in daily rapid testing at the top of their call times, with mandatory isolation in the event of a positive case, throughout the entire production period.

While provincial mandates stopped enforcing proof of vaccination and masking as of March 2022, the Grand maintained both protocols until the end of the 21/22 Season to ensure the protection of artists in shows that were not understudied, as well as front-facing staff, volunteers, and immunocompromised patrons.

The Ticketing Journey

The Grand returned to live performance in October 2021 with the GRAND RE:OPENING FESTIVAL. Due to a function of capacity and spacing restrictions at the time, approximately 25 to 75 spaces (Auburn Stage and Spriet Stage, respectively) were made available to the public by invitation, per performance.

Regardless of these limitations, the public response to the Host Artist offerings, the new renovation, and the return to live performance, left an encouraging note upon which to launch the 2021/22 Season.

The 2021/22 Season launched in November (days after the Province of Ontario granted live entertainment venues passage toward maximum capacity reopening), and the season was put on sale for single tickets only (no subscriptions) with all tickets priced at $50 per unit. On the day that tickets went on sale, the Grand saw its highest-ever single day of ticket sales, giving confidence that a sizable percentage of patrons were ready and willing to return to the theatre.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS began previews less than 30 days later, and completed each performance of its run, even with the imminent threat of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. ROOM, CONTROLLED DAMAGE and RUBABOO were not so lucky, as shortly before the end of 2021, a complete and total shutdown of live entertainment venues forced the Grand to reconceptualize and reschedule the middle of its season.

ROOM and GROW were shifted forward to March and April 2022, respectively, and CONTROLLED DAMAGE and RUBABOO became the first productions announced for the 2022/23 Season. The Box Office facilitated exchanges and refunds for affected patrons in the subsequent weeks.

When ROOM was finally to take the stage, venues of the Grand’s size were able to operate at 50% capacity, per the first step towards reopening, and that’s what was done, selling at 70% capacity for the run. GROW, which followed, became the first production post-Omicron to operate at 100% capacity, welcoming over 6,500 patrons to end the season strong.

Additional Programs

To welcome our cherished supporters back into the newly renovated building, Subscriber Tours were offered in October and allowed small groups of patrons to walk through the spaces with a staff member.

In preparation and celebration of ROOM’s long anticipated onstage run at the Grand, we honoured Emma Donoghue with a book signing event on March 3, 2022. This free event invited book lovers into our Drewlo Lounge for a Q&A and personable conversation with the vivacious author, playwright, and screenwriter.

As a way of diving further into the show’s content and production process, Wednesday night AfterWORDS for ROOM were held post-show in the Drewlo Lounge on March 9 + March 16 featuring guest artists from the show.

Audiences got the chance to celebrate the high-larious new musical, GROW, with a special 4:20 event on April 20 and AfterWORDS post-show talk on April 27.

YOUTH & EDUCATION

In early fall 2021, the 35th High School Project saw 36 students create a video love letter to city of London: THE GREAT GRAND ROAD TRIP. The Project had students travel to various historical sites and landmarks to perform classic musical theatre numbers in new, non-traditional ways. The presentation was available for complimentary download online from September 29th through October 11th and recorded 1,485 downloads.

HSP 2022: INTO THE WOODS was announced March 24. Auditions and callbacks for performing and orchestra placements took place April 23-24, April 30May 1, May 14-15, and interviews for production placements took place May 16-18. Students were selected and gathered for the first time with their families and Grand staff at Info Night on June 15.