FAQ REGARDING COVID-19 AND THE STRAND

Is The Strand totally dark?

Currently, The Strand is closed for large scale public events in order to protect our community. The Strand is still available for small private event rentals operating under health and safety guidelines.

Ticketing: The box office is available over phone and email from 12pm – 4pm, Monday through Friday.

Private Events: Our special events team is available to help with small private event bookings at myevent@strandmarietta.org or 770.293.0080 ext. 2.

We’ll be continuing to monitor the situation and communicate with health officials. We appreciate your patience and we’ll continue to communicate with you as things progress.

What do I do if I have tickets to something that's been canceled or postponed?

If you purchased tickets through The Strand Box Office and you have questions about your tickets, you can contact the box office at 770.293.0080 or boxoffice@strandmarietta.org.

Please note that the box office is available over phone and email only and is operating under the limited hours of 12pm – 4pm, Monday through Friday.

IF YOUR EVENT WAS CANCELED

You can donate your tickets and receive a tax deduction for the value of your order
You can credit the value of your tickets toward a future event at The Strand
You can get a full refund

IF YOUR EVENT WAS POSTPONED

Your tickets will automatically transfer to the rescheduled event date. Because the current health situation is still fluid, new dates might not have been announced yet, but we’ll tell you what they are as soon as possible.
If you don’t want to keep your tickets, you can donate your tickets and receive a tax deduction for the value of your order
You can credit the value of your tickets toward a future event at The Strand

We appreciate your patience and we promise we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.

Why has The Strand decided to close doors to the public?

While we hate to see the theatre dark (The Strand usually hosts over 1,000 events per year!), our mission is to serve the community. Right now, protecting the health of our patrons, staff, and artists by postponing large scale or otherwise high risk events is the best way we can do that.

How can I help?

In a typical year, we host and produce over 1,000 events. 72% of our budget comes from those events. That means that since March, our main source of revenue has almost completely disappeared.

We need your help to get through this time. If you like having The Strand in Marietta, please consider donating. Many theatres like The Strand have already closed their doors permanently all over the country. We are doing everything we can to make sure we make it through, and we need your support.

EVENTS EFFECTED BY THE CLOSURE

MARCH
Metropolis: Canceled
The Princess Bride: Postponed, date TBA
Sing Along with Grease: Postponed, date TBA
Indie Film Night: Canceled
APRIL
Lewis Grizzard in His Own Words: Rescheduled for November 8 - 11, 2020
Zach Seabaugh in Concert: Rescheduled for October 9, 2020
MAY
Mamma Mia Singalong: Postponed, date TBA
Strand Ole Opry's Walk the Line: Canceled
Sparrows Silent Film Experience: Rescheduled to 2021 series
Forever Plaid: Rescheduled to March 2021
JUNE
Fiddler on the Roof, Jr: Canceled
Triple Threat, Children: Canceled
Triple Threat, Junior: Canceled
Showtime! Annie KIDS: Canceled
JULY
Strand Ole Opry's Burnin' Love: Canceled
Comedy Luau: Canceled
Safety Last Silent Film Experience: Rescheduled to 2021 series
DEPARTURE Journey Tribute Band: Postponed, date TBA
Georgia Players Guild's Eagles & Crosby Stills and Nash: Rescheduled for Feb 20, 2021
AUGUST
Jukebox Giants: Rescheduled to 2021
GPG Presents: The Music of Pink Floyd: Postponed, date TBA
SEPTEMBER
Comedy Grind: Canceled
The General Silent Film Experience: Rescheduled to 2021 series
Smoke on the Mountain: Rescheduled to 2021

Health and Safety Updates

Strand Summer Education: An Update | 6.9

Since 2011, The Strand has been committed to providing quality arts education to our community. One of the ways we’re able to do that is through our summer theatre camps – they’re a chance to not only give students the full theatre experience, but also a space for kids to form friendships, grow creatively, and learn what they’re truly capable of.

While we cherish the opportunity to help our students grow through these summer camps, our first priority is the safety of the students in our care. Because of the risk to our students and their families at this time, we don’t feel that it’s responsible for us to hold in-person camps at the moment. While we have explored distance learning possibilities, ultimately we don’t feel that a virtual format would offer a comparative arts education experience.

After much discussion internally as well as with our educators, parents, and students, we’ve made the difficult decision to cancel our 2020 summer camps. This includes Triple Threat Intensive, Junior, Triple Threat Intensive, Children, Showtime! Annie, KIDS, and Fiddler on the Roof, Jr. All pre-paid tuition for these camps will be automatically refunded to the original payment method used.

We wish all of our Strand Academy students and families the very best this summer. We’re here for you, and our inboxes are always open. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with questions, concerns, or even just for some fun ways to continue to incorporate the arts in your student’s lives.

Thank you as always for your support of The Strand. We can’t wait to see you at the theatre again.

Catherine Moulton
Head of Education
Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre
education@strandmarietta.org
770.293.0080 | StrandMarietta.org

Health and Safety Update | 4.28

Strand Family,

We hope everyone is staying safe and well. These past few weeks have been an adjustment for everyone, and we’ve appreciated getting to connect with you virtually during this time that we’re unable to connect in person.

As you’ve heard, many businesses have been given the option to begin reopening—salons, tattoo parlors, restaurants, churches, and movie theatres among them.

There are a couple of things we’d like to address because of this—the first is that, while we know many are eager to start revisiting their favorite places, The Strand is first and foremost a live performance venue and so is not approved to start reopening procedures yet.

The second is that, as you know, the environment at a theatre isn’t conducive to the level of social distancing that is currently necessary, and social distancing continues to be the best way to protect our community and each other. The health and well-being of Strand patrons and staff, and of everyone in our community near and far, takes precedence above all else.

Until we’re sure that opening the doors to the theatre is safe for you, your families, and the community, we will continue to gather in our ‘virtual’ theatre for Friday night movies, Saturday night special events, and more.

Thank you for your patience and your support during this time, it means more than you know.

As always, thank you for your patronage.

Visit us virtually with:
🎬 Double Feature Friday: Virtual movie night with live chat every Friday on Twitch.

🏠 Living Room Sessions: Concerts and special events every Saturday on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch.

📚 Page to Screen Book Club: Book-to-movie book club, meeting every two weeks via Zoom. Find out more and join at Page to Screen Book Club!

🤹‍♀️ Show off your talents: Submit your hidden talent for a chance to be featured in a StrandTV special sharing the weird and wonderful talents of Marietta! More info here: bit.ly/TalentedMarietta

⭐️ Support: All of our virtual content is completely free to watch! If you’d like to support us during this time, you can do that with a donation or through creating your own personal Strand fundraiser here: bit.ly/StrandBTG

🎫 Questions about tickets? The box office is open and reachable over the phone at 770.293.0080 or by email at boxoffice@strandmarietta.org. Hours are 12pm-4pm, M-F.

Follow us on
👀 Twitch: twitch.tv/StrandMarietta
👀 YouTube: bit.ly/StrandYouTube
👀 Facebook Live: facebook.com/StrandMarietta/live

Health and Safety Update | 3.27

Because the safety and health of our community is our top priority, The Strand will remain closed until it’s safe to reopen. We will continue to communicate as we get a clearer idea of what that timeline looks like. Please stay home and stay safe.

In the meantime, we’re bringing The Strand experience to you! Follow us on Facebook or Twitch for Friday night movie nights, Saturday night concerts, and more. Our virtual programming is free to watch, but if you feel called to support The Strand that programming, consider a donation so we can continue to entertain you from afar.

We hope to see you in person soon. As always, thank you for your patronage.

Health and Safety Update | 3.14

UPDATE: After continued dialogue with health officials, in order to best protect our patrons and the community during this rapidly escalating public health situation The Strand will remain temporarily closed to the public. We will plan to reopen on Wednesday, April 1 and are continuing to monitor the situation as it develops. We’ll continue to stay in regular communication through our social media, email list, and website to keep you informed of any updates.

- Our box office will be staffed remotely and will be available by phone and email during the hours of 12:00pm to 4:00pm, Monday through Friday.
- Our facility rental department will be staffed remotely and available by phone and email during the hours of 12:00pm to 4:00 pm, Tuesday through Friday.
- Our management and administrative staff will continue to work remotely.

In the meantime, we ask that you stay safe and informed. You’ll continue to hear from us over the coming weeks, and we hope to hear from you too. Our community means everything to us – The Strand is here for you and because of you.

As always, thank you for your patronage.

Over the last 24 hours, the pace of information about Coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact on our community has escalated rapidly. The Strand has been in regular contact with the public health department of Cobb County to determine how best to protect the health and safety of our community.

Based on the most recent recommendations from the county and the statement from Governor Kemp this morning, we have decided to cancel this evening’s screening of Metropolis as well as Lumiere Lounge and Brew With A View through the rest of the weekend.

Since COVID-19 became a concern, The Strand has followed or exceeded all guidelines from health officials and the CDC. We have taken steps to protect our patrons by ensuring the cleanliness of our space and, as the situation progressed, encouraging our older and high risk patrons to stay safe at home. At this point, we don’t feel these measures will be enough going forward. We have a responsibility to do everything in our power to slow the virus by minimizing exposure to all patrons, not only those at increased risk, and will be doing so through these social distancing measures.

We appreciate your understanding as we do everything possible to keep our community safe and healthy. We know this is an uncertain and stressful time, and we couldn’t be more grateful to have patrons like you. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep the lines of communication open with you.

Stay safe and look out for each other. As always, thank you for your patronage.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How long will you be closed?
Right now, The Strand will be closed to the public through the weekend. We’ll be continuing to monitor the situation and communicate with health officials. We appreciate your patience in this fluid situation, and we’ll continue to communicate with you as things progress.

Why are you canceling now?
Our main priority is protecting the vulnerable members of our community by doing all we can to help slow the growing spread (“flatten the curve”) of COVID-19. While we hate to see the theatre dark, our mission is to serve the community. Right now, protecting the health of our patrons is the best way we can do that.

I keep hearing “flattening the curve.” What does it mean?
The more we can all do to slow the spread of the virus, the better our hospitals and infrastructure will be able to handle anyone who does get sick. The danger of spiking the curve is when protective measures aren’t taken and those resources get overwhelmed by an entire community sick at once. Read more on how you can help “flatten the curve” here.

What can I do to help?
First and foremost, stay safe. Continue to listen to the CDC and public health department and follow their recommendations.

If you’d like to help support The Strand, we would greatly appreciate your financial support. Nationally, arts organizations rely on donations for over 50% of their budget. At The Strand, that number is only 28%. 72% of our budget comes through ticket sales and events, so while the safety of this community is our top priority the loss of revenue from going dark will be a financial hardship. If you’re in a position to give support, you can make a tax-deductible contribution here.

In addition to the cancelation of Metropolis tonight, we’re also closing the Lumiere Lounge and Brew With A View for the weekend. Many of the musicians who perform at Lumiere and Brew are full time musicians who are facing financial uncertainty right now. If you’d like to show them some extra love, we’ve included a “virtual tip jar” to give them some extra support here.

Health and Safety Update | 3.13

The Strand is closely monitoring the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and we want to update you on our efforts to protect the health and well-being of our patrons, artists, volunteers, and employees. We are following the recommendations of the CDC regarding best practices for containing possible exposure to the virus. Please note that because of the small size of our theatre, events at The Strand are not currently considered to be mass gatherings or inherently high-risk. At this time, there have been minimal changes to The Strand’s schedule. Most events will continue as planned until further notice. Please see the banner at the top of the page for all schedule changed. We are taking extra precautions to prioritize your safety, such as additional cleanings of the facility, increased sanitization of high traffic and patron accessible areas, additional hand sanitizing areas in public spaces, and instructions to our staff and volunteers on how they can best protect themselves and others. Here are some things you can do to help:

Your safety is our top priority. If you are at a higher risk for becoming sick, we recommend you stay home. The CDC defines ‘higher-risk’ as older adults as well as people who have serious chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, or lung disease.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth as well as close contact with others
Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care

If you are feeling sick or are at an increased health risk, our box office will be happy to work with you to reschedule or make adjustments to your tickets. You can reach the box office at 770.293.0080 or boxoffice@strandmarietta.org. We recognize that changes may happen quickly, and we will always act in your best interests. If anything changes, we will update any affected ticket holders through email directly and the public via our social media channels, website, and newsletter. Thank you for your help in keeping our community healthy, safe, and strong. As always, thank you for your patronage.

Information and resources: CDC: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) DPH: Georgia Department of Public Health WHO: Q&A on coronaviruses (COVID-19)

EARL AND RACHEL SMITH STRAND THEATRE
117 North Park Square
Marietta, GA 30060

It is The Strand’s mission to provide cultural entertainment and education, preserve the historic landmark theatre, and promote economic development in the City of Marietta and Cobb County.

770.293.0080

The historic Strand Theatre lights up the downtown Marietta square with live theatre, films, concerts, comedy, private events, and more. The Strand is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.