Old Greenbelt Theatre remains closed out of concern for the safety of its staff and patrons despite County Executive Angela Alsobrooks’ announcement March 11 that theaters may reopen at 50 percent of their maximum capacity.
“We will not reopen until our staff can be vaccinated,” said Caitlin McGrath, executive director of the theater.
The county health department just entered Phase 2 of vaccinating eligible residents and those who work in the county, which includes people 60 years or older, essential workers and certain groups.
“When we say to our patrons, ‘we want you to come back when you feel safe,’ that for most people . . . will mean when they are vaccinated,” she said. “And we want to have the same opportunity as a staff.”
Before the historic theater closed a little over a year ago on March 13, 2020, it had never closed for a single day, McGrath said. The theater remained open through major renovations, snow days and federal holidays, she said. “That’s not some sort of publicity stunt. It’s because we really wanted to be there to serve our community.”
The theater has managed to financially survive during the Covid-19 pandemic through support from its members and donors, the City of Greenbelt, county and state grants and federal funding, McGrath said.
Currently, the theater offers private theater rentals and movie night snacks through curbside pickup on Fridays, she said. The theater also partners with Greenbelt Recreation to show outdoor movies, which will resume in April.
When the theater reopens, McGrath said some top contenders for movies it may show are those that went straight to streaming or were Oscar nominated.
“We’re keen to reopen,” McGrath said. “We’re really looking forward to having people back in the theater. But we have been waiting a long time at this point and we want to make sure that we do it in the most thoughtful, measured way, taking into account the safety of patrons and staff.”
Brittany Gaddy is a journalism student at the University of Maryland writing for the News Review.