Hi friends,
Today’s announcement by the Governor’s Office which restricts public gatherings of more than 250 people and limiting gatherings of 250 or less creates a new paradigm for us all to consider. The uncertainty of this time cannot be understated and I know we are all working to keep our families, friends, employees, volunteers, and audiences safe and healthy. TPS is continuing to monitor the situation closely to determine our best course of action. Please reach out to us if you have additional questions.
Things to consider
We are aware that the impact of these closures is far reaching. We encourage you to keep these things in mind as you and/or your orgs navigate this situation.
- Stay informed and help keep people safe: With news changing quickly, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Since the news does not always include our sector with specific recommendations, we recommend following guidelines for industries whose populations most closely reflect your populations. Visit sites listed below frequently and provide clear messaging for your staff and constituents about your decision making process whenever possible.
- King County Health
- CDC
- Public Health Insider
- Find a support network: We are in unprecedented times, know that you are not alone in identifying solutions and making hard decisions. Find a trusted resource to help you work though these decisions and please reach out to one of us at TPS if you need a sounding board. We are here to help. We know how much you are all already juggling in your regular day-to-day operations. Be patient with each other as we navigate uncharted territory.
- Track your losses: Our greatest focus right now should be the health of those we work and connect with and on containing the spread of this virus. However we know these restrictions to public gatherings will have a significant financial impact on our sector. Be sure to track any financial impacts you are feeling as a result of COVID-19. Whether you are an organization having to cancel fundraising events or shows, or an individual artist, employee, or freelancer whose employment has or will be affected by this pandemic, make sure to track those financial repercussions. We are working with our partners to determine what can be done once the crisis is controlled and we’ll need that data to help tell this story.
TPS Specific Updates
EMAIL, EMAIL, EMAIL: The staff will be working from home as much as possible. If you need to make a change or would like to schedule a call, please email us at the options below. We are working to get our voicemail system up and running remotely but phone messages may take longer to return.
STUDIOS: At this time, the studios will remain open and operational however it is important to know that while extra cleaning measures are in place, we are not implementing full sanitization procedures. Public Health is requesting that events of less than 250 be cancelled unless they meet the requirements of sanitization and social distancing. We will work with all clients in order to help support their decision to postpone or cancel gatherings for the health of their constituents. Please contact us at studio4@tpsonline.org.
Again, I remind everyone to please be sure to connect with the person or entity who is running the rehearsal or meeting you plan to attend in order to confirm it is running on schedule. TPS will make every attempt to ensure the public calendar is up to date but changes are happening rapidly.
STATUS OF PROGRAMS: While the TA Training by Rainbow Center, hosted by SCT and TPS is currently still running this Saturday, March 14th, we are assessing the situation daily and will make a final decision by Friday, 3/13. We ask that participants let us know if they are unable to come for any reason. Please email ariel@tpsonline.org.
HOW TO REACH US: Please use these emails to reach out and know, while we may not be in the office, we are happy to set up a time to chat if that is needed.
- To email about studios: studio4@tpsonline.org
- To get advice or need a sounding board: ariel@tpsonline.org
- For general Questions: tps@tpsonline.org
- For urgent matters please call: 206.770.0370 X208
We will continue to keep you informed about changes in TPS operations as we have them. Again, if you need support or additional information, please reach out and let us know how we at TPS can lend that help.
All my best,
Ariel Bradler
Executive Director
ariel@tpsonline.org | 206.770.0370 x 100