Live Shows Are Back in Santa Barbara

Venues Small and Large Cautiously Welcome the Return of Performers and Audiences

By Charles Donelan | August 19, 2021

Describing the pandemic experience for venue operators as a “hellacious rollercoaster,” Teri Ball, executive director at Santa Barbara’s beloved Center Stage Theater, spoke for many when she said that the latest news about the Delta variant surge tested her resiliency. “I feel like with COVID, I’ve learned the opposite of the power of positive thinking,” Ball told me in a recent phone call. “Just when you think it’s going to get better, something comes along that sets us all back.” Despite the rise in cases and the return of the indoor masking mandate, great progress has been made, largely thanks to vaccines and the people who get them. As a result, we can finally look forward to the return of live performances to stages large and small, indoors and out, as Santa Barbara anticipates its first active in-person performing arts season since March 2020. The information that follows is presented in the spirit of allowing everyone to make well-informed choices that will leave them feeling safe.

Over at the Santa Barbara Bowl, where the first show in more than a year will be comedian Chelsea Handler (read our interview here) on Saturday, August 21, the motto now is “know before you go.” The Bowl’s website will be updated continuously with the latest information about the status of individual events and the protocols suggested for those who wish to attend them. It’s all part of an effort to reduce anxiety around returning to the Bowl, a place that Santa Barbara has always revered as safe and welcoming. A joint statement issued by the Bowl’s Executive Director Rick Boller and Goldenvoice Senior Vice President Moss Jacobs emphasizes the key role that good communication will continue to play as we all navigate a rapidly evolving situation:

Our goal is to begin hosting events as safely as possible. At the moment, we will be following state and local guidelines for outdoor events. We strongly encourage all attendees to wear a mask. For the non- or partially vaccinated, masks are required. They are also required in various enclosed or partially enclosed locations within the venue, including the public restrooms. We will have plenty of signs throughout the Bowl. In regards to vaccinations, we will follow industry standards and guidelines as they develop. We encourage anyone attending or thinking about buying tickets to visit our website, which has the most detailed and up to date information.