SANDY, Utah (ABC4 News) – All performances of Mary Poppins are canceled through July 28th at the Hale Centre Theatre in Sandy.
It comes after two company members tested positive for COVID-19. An email was sent to ticket holders notifying them of the show’s suspension.
Jae Weit is a member of the local theatre company, and explains what it’s like acting amid the pandemic. “It’s terrifying especially when you’re doing something on stage,” Weit said.
When word of at least one company member testing positive broke over the weekend, Weit spoke out on social media.
“I think when we look at a theatre like Hale which has such an influence in the community with how many shows they put up, the capacity in which they put on these shows, they have such a platform to set a standard,” they said.
ABC4 did reach out to the theatre’s owner. We’re still waiting to hear back. However on Sunday, owner Mark Dietlein shared a timeline with ABC4 by email. In it, he said the initial actor who contracted COVID-19 from a family member hadn’t been in the building since July 2nd.
It was the following Monday when the person began having symptoms. In a statement Deitlein said “the actor had not been in the Hale Centre Theatre building since contracting the virus and it has had no impact on the theatre or anyone working there.”
The infection is under investigation by the Salt Lake County Health Department. By phone spokesman Nicholas Rupp tells ABC4, “the health department can’t share specifics of an investigation, but contact-tracing was done. Anyone who may have been potentially exposed has been notified.”
