Act One Update

With September upon us, Act One wishes to keep all those interested in its programs updated on current registration status and the school's plans for the upcoming Fall Term.

The topics below represent the five most common subject areas that we have been asked about over the past few weeks:

• In-Person vs On-line Classes
• 2020/21 Class Registration Update
• Act One COVID-19 Vaccination Policy for 2021/22
• 2021/22 COVID-19 Guidelines
• 2020/21 Year End Performance Videos and Show Discs

In-Person vs On-line Classes:

Act One’s approach for 2021/22 is to focus all our efforts on establishing and maintaining conditions that enable our students to comfortably and safely learn drama in person. Unless required to by Durham Health, all Act One classes will take place at the school facility. As long as the positive benefits of in-person classes are possible, there will not be an on-line option.

2021/22 Registration Update:

On-line registration for Act One’s 2021 Fall Term classes is now available. Classes begin Sept 12/21. We can accept late registrations up until Thanksgiving week, so long as there is still space in the desired class.

For those considering classes for 2021/22, here is the status of classes close to being full (as of Sept 9/21):

• Adult Theatre (Mondays): Max Size – 6 / 2 spots remaining
• Acting On Camera Ages 11-13 (Tuesdays): Max Size – 10 / 3 spots remaining
• Acting On Camera Ages 14-18 (Tuesdays): Max Size – 10 / Class FULL
• Theatre Ages 10-11 (Wednesdays): Max Size – 10 / 4 spots remaining
• Theatre Ages 14-18 (Wednesdays): Max Size – 8 / 3 spots remaining
• Theatre Basics 5-7 (Thursdays): Max Size – 6 / Class FULL
• Improvisation Ages 14-18 (Thursdays): Max Size – 10 / 4 spots remaining
• Theatre Basics 5-7 (Saturdays): Max Size – 6 / 2 spots remaining
• Theatre Ages 10-11 (Saturdays): Max Size – 10 / 4 spots remaining
• Improvisation Ages 14-18 (Sundays): Max Size – 10 / 2 spots remaining
• Musical Theatre Ages 7-10 (Sundays): Max Size – 12 / 4 spots remaining
• Musical Theatre Ages 11-13 (Sundays): Max Size – 12 / 4 spots remaining
• Musical Theatre Ages 14-18 (Sundays): Max Size – 10 / 2 spots remaining




If a class is not mentioned above, then its registration level is considered “open”, as opposed to “close to being full”.

You can find more detailed information on all classes on the school website. The on-line registration form can be accessed from here.

To help prospective students with advance planning, key registration, term and performance information/dates for the 2021/22 school year can be found here. Please note that these dates reflect our best planning given current pandemic circumstances. They are all subject to change, depending on future Durham Region Health Department COVID-19 measures.

Act One COVID-19 Vaccination Policy for 2021/22:
I have thought long and hard on this difficult question. After much consideration and discussion with the school staff, the following is the official Act One Vaccination Policy for the 2021 Fall Term.
1. Guiding Principle: Act One’s obligation is to maximize the drama experience for current students, while ensuring it is done in the safest manner possible for all those participating.
2. General Vaccine Policy: All students and staff who fall within the Province of Ontario eligible age range of approved COVID-19 vaccines, must be fully vaccinated in order to attend or instruct classes at Act One for the 2021/22 school year. As of Sept 9/21, this applies to all persons aged 12 and older.
3. Proof of Vaccination: To be deemed fully vaccinated, all staff and students must be willing and able to present officially recognized proof of vaccination upon request of the school. Anyone is free to decline this request but in doing so, please be aware that for the health and safety of all involved, Act One will have to consider them as “unvaccinated”, with respect to being able to participate in a class. Act One will only accept vaccination proof as officially recognized by the Province of Ontario or Government of Canada. Initially this will be the Province of Ontario vaccination certificate. When available this will include the anticipated provincial vaccine passport (planned for Oct/Nov).
4. Vaccine Exemption: There are two possible exceptions to the policy:
   • Medically Exempt: Act One will only recognize medical exemptions as defined by the Province of Ontario and supported by an official doctor’s note confirming the student qualifies.
   • Age Change During The Year: Students who start the year too young to be eligible for vaccination in a partially-vaccinated class can still attend classes (subject to the relevant COVID measures identified below). They will have 8 weeks (56 calendar days) from the date of their birthday to present proof of full vaccination.
5. Protocol for Fully-Vaccinated Classes (ie Ages 12-13, 14-18 and Adult):
   • In line with provincial high school guidelines, physical distancing will now be considered 3ft for these classes.
   • At instructor discretion, physical distancing can also be relaxed further.
   • The above two measures will allow for the resumption of many previous theatre games and other activities that had to be dropped due to sensitivity to physical distancing restrictions.
   • Masks will still be required in class for all physical activities but can be relaxed, at instructor discretion when engaged in more stationary work, etc.
   • The range of performance material available to the students for the coming year will be greatly enhanced.
6. Protocol for Un-Vaccinated Classes (ie Ages 3-4, 5-7, 8-9, 10-11 and 7-10):
   • 6-Ft physical distancing will still be maintained wherever possible. As in past years, theatre games and other activities that can be adapted for this physical distancing will be retained, while those that cannot, will unfortunately not be available again this year.
   • Masks will be required in class at all times where physical distancing cannot be ensured. This will apply to both physically active and stationary activities, etc.
   • The range of performance material available to the students for the coming year will again be screened to align with physical distancing requirements.
7. Protocol for Partially-Vaccinated Classes (ie Ages 11-13):
   • The goal for Act One was to avoid depriving the younger students of the benefits of being in the class while also being fair to older vaccinated students.
   • Basic physical distancing will be 3 feet for all vaccinated students and 6 feet for younger unvaccinated ones.
   • Masks will still be required in class for all physical activities. For vaccinated students, at instructor discretion, they can be relaxed when engaged in more stationary work, etc. For younger unvaccinated students, mask usage will be much stricter, for their own safety.
   • The range of performance material available to the students for the coming year will be greater than for unvaccinated classes but still less than for fully vaccinated ones. The key determination factor will not be that the material is fully aligned with physically distancing but only that whatever is chosen does allow for physically distanced performance opportunities for younger, unvaccinated students
8. Future Vaccine Age Eligibility Changes: The above policy will be in effect for at least the duration of the 2021/22 Fall Term (Sept/21 to Jan/22). There is speculation that late in Nov/Dec 2021, one or more vaccines may be approved for younger individuals (ie age 7-11), with vaccinations being available early in the new year. If this does come to pass, Act One policy will be to convert Un-Vaccinated and Partially-Vaccinated Classes to Fully-Vaccinated status 12 weeks (84 calendar days) after the vaccine is first made available. This will be done to provide the younger students with the same classroom experience benefits that the older, previously vaccinated students have been enjoying.


Important Vaccine Policy Notes:
1. Policy Change: Given the potential for rapid change in the local pandemic environment, please note that this policy may change at any time. Should this become the case, Act One will do everything possible to give all current students as much advance notice as possible.
2. Student Withdrawal: Should a change in policy result in a student no longer being able to continue in a class, they are free to withdraw and Act One will pro-rate their class fees based on the time they were in a class.
3. Act One Staff Vaccination Status: Please note that ALL Act One teaching staff are fully vaccinated, as of Sept 1/21.


2021/22 COVID-19 Guidelines :
The following outlines the general measures and procedures that Act One will have in place to mitigate any risk from COVID-19 and enhance student/staff safety and comfort.
1. General Procedures:


• Class Size: No class will have more than 10 students. The only exception to this is Musical Theatre, which will be allowed a maximum of 12. Only one class will operate in the school at one time. Keeping the maximum limit to 10-12 allows Act One to have the flexibility to offer up to 8ft of physical distancing between participants.
• Student Arrival: Classes will be scheduled to allow for a dedicated 5 minutes (first 5 minutes of the class time) for students in that class to arrive. This will minimize any chance of students congregating in reception prior to class start. Students can walk straight into the main studio upon arrival.
• Student Exit: The last 5 minutes at the end of the class will be reserved for students in that class to be able to leave safely. Students will be directed by their instructor to exit in staggered, single file. This is to ensure physical distancing between students and minimal interaction in reception.
• Main Studio Access:
  • Only the instructor(s) and students in the current class are permitted in the main studio.
  • No parents, guardians or non-students are permitted studio entry. If anyone does need to talk the instructor, they must wait until the instructor has an opportunity to come out into reception or outside in front of the school.
  • All those entering the main studio will be required to be wearing a mask.
  • Once in the main studio, participants may be allowed to remove their masks, at instructor discretion. This is dependent upon class status and/or the activity taking place at the time and/or being able to ensure proper physical distancing can be maintained.
  • Regardless of vaccination status, students must keep their masks on their person at all times, if/when the instructor deems it necessary for them to put them back on for any reason.
• Reception Area General Guidelines:
• Anyone entering the reception area of the school will be required to wear a mask. This includes students, instructors and parents, etc.
• Masks must be worn at all times when in reception.
• Act One’s reception area has four designated “waiting zones”.
• Maximum capacity of the reception area is twelve persons, with a maximum of 10 students and other guests and up to 2 school staff.
• Persons waiting in reception are required to maintain physical distancing (3 ft for un-related vaccinated individuals and 6 ft for un-related unvaccinated persons)
• Reception Area Access (Students, Parents, Guardians):
• When possible, students aged 3-11 are asked to wait in their family car until the start of their class.
• Entrance to the reception area is open to all students participating in the upcoming and current class and anyone accompanying the student(s), as long as one of the four following conditions apply:
  1. The student(s) will be proceeding directly into the main studio for their class.
  2. Those accompanying the student will be remaining in reception for less than 5 minutes.
  3. The class is over, and the student will be picked up within 5 minutes of end of class.
  4. Anyone picking up a student will be in reception for less than 5 minutes.
• Reception Area Access (Other Visitors):
  • Anyone, student or other, who does not fit one of the above four conditions will be required to arrange for and obtain prior permission from the school to stay in reception for longer than 5 minutes before or at the end of class.
  • The request can be via e-mail or phone conversation. Voice and e-mail messages unanswered by the school cannot be considered permission. The requestor must have received prior direct permission from Act One.
  • As Act One’s reception only has four “waiting zones”, we can only accommodate up to four simultaneous long-term requests. All others will either have to wait outside in front of the school or in their cars.
• In-Class Procedures for Students:
  • Prior to the start of each class, instructors will set up enough physically distanced chairs, with individual student name labels on each, so that arriving students can go directly to their assigned chair when they enter. Students will be required to stay in “their” chair until the instructor indicates otherwise, unless they need the washroom, etc (which will require instructor permission to avoid any chance of students crossing paths).
  • All students will be required to use the provided hand sanitizer prior to taking their seat and starting class activities. Hand washing and sanitization breaks will be scheduled throughout the class by the instructors based on need and specific class activities.
  • Once the class is over, the instructor for the just finished class will fold up and put aside all chairs from that class in a “quarantine” area. New chairs will be set up for the next class. Used chairs will be disinfected before they are reused.
  • All in-class activities will be adapted for appropriate physical distancing or eliminated if this is not possible in a reasonable manner. This includes games, exercises and performance staging/blocking.
  • If physical props or costume pieces, are required at any time during a class, each item will be assigned to a specific student and unavailable to any other student in that class for the rest of the class duration. In the rare case where a prop must be handled by multiple students, this will only happen if adequate sanitization of the item or students’ hands is feasible.
• Washroom Procedures for Students and Guests:
  • Washroom use will require prior instructor/school staff permission to make sure we are aware of when they are used.
  • Paper towels are available for those who do not wish to come into direct contact with any common washroom touch points.
  • Anyone using one of the washrooms will be expected to wash their hands before exiting and then use the hand sanitizer provided outside the washroom locations before resuming other activities.


2. COVID Screening:
   
   
   • Contact Tracing: All non-student visitors entering the Act One facility should be aware that their name and contact information must be recorded, if they will be remaining for more than 5 minutes. This is to align with Durham Region contact tracing requirements.
   • Temperature Checking (Unvaccinated and Partially-Vaccinated Classes Only):
     • All students in unvaccinated and partially-vaccinated classes will be required to have their temperature checked (via the school’s non-contact scanner) by the instructor or school staff, prior to entering the main studio.
     • Any student with a reading of 37.8 degrees Celsius or higher, cannot be allowed to enter the main studio. (FYI – 38 degrees Celsius is considered an almost certain indicator of a fever). If a student does read 37.8 or above, they can opt to wait 5 minutes and be retested. This is to acknowledge that immediate environmental factors may contribute to a temporary rise in body temperature. If on the second try, they test below 37.8 degrees C they can be admitted. If they test above for the second time, they must be sent home. No third test will be allowed.
     • Failed tests do not impact the next class. The student will have the opportunity to be retested on that day.
   • Health Declarations (Unvaccinated and Partially-Vaccinated Classes Only):
     • Durham Region health guidelines also recommend, for safety reasons, that organizations such as Act One receive explicit weekly confirmation from parents, that to the best of their knowledge, their child has not demonstrated or come into contact with anyone exhibiting coronavirus symptoms.
     • Before each unvaccinated and partially-vaccinated class, parents will be asked to provide such a declaration.
     • This declaration can be provided by signing the class declaration form, available in reception, when dropping their child off or by sending in an e-mail declaration.
     • A generic e-mail form will be sent to all families before the first class, to allow them to simply and easily send it each week.
   • Designated Student “Drama Bubble” (Unvaccinated and Partially-Vaccinated Classes Only):
     • For safety reasons, in general, all unvaccinated students not living in the same household will be required to maintain physical distancing at all times.
     • Act One does recognize however that many students who are friends attend classes together and that families may permit the students to carpool and do other activities, such as Act One classes, together.
     • To allow for this in Act One unvaccinated and partially-vaccinated classes, parents have the option of providing a one-time waiver indicating that they allow their child to join a “drama bubble”, consisting of two or more students in the same class.
     • This declaration must be signed or received from the parents or guardians of ALL the students who wish to be part of the bubble.
     • A “drama bubble” allows Act One instructors to treat all students within it as it they live in the same household and thus do not have to worry about any physical distancing, etc amongst themselves.
     • Students in a drama bubble would still need to adhere to all safety procedures when interacting with the instructor and any other students in the class outside of their bubble.


3. Mask Usage Policy:
   
   
   • As of November 2020, the Durham Region Department of Health general COVID-19 guidelines requires mask usage in all indoor “public” venues, with certain specific exemptions.
   • One of these exemptions may apply to any school, camp or other organization that provides children’s activities.
   • The exemption is based on the organization’s ability to control social interaction in a “private” (ie the ability to restrict and supervise who shares a space) vs “public” (open to anyone) environment. This is why masks are mandatory in stores, where even though capacity is monitored, the actual individuals constantly change. Organizations, such as Act One, that are able to restrict and control access to an area to a specific “cohort” and ensure no interaction with other cohorts, can consider that area to be “private”.
   • This is why masks are required in Act One’s reception area (where we cannot necessarily control who enters and thus is “public”) but fall under the exemption in the main studio (where we have implemented strict access requirements, in order to allow it to be deemed “private”).
   • Being designated “private” and exempt from the mandatory mask requirement also does not mean that an organization can ignore physical distancing and other recommendations. In fact, being designated “private”, by itself, is not sufficient justification for relaxed mask usage. It merely means that if a “private” activity can be undertaken in a safe, physically distanced manner and addresses all relevant guidelines, then mask usage can be more situational and flexible.
   • In Act One’s case, the benefit of these exemption allows us the opportunity to balance mask usage with its impact on the students. It is not absolute however and is still conditional on the degree to which we can ensure social distancing and other relevant measures throughout the class duration.
   • Act One instructors will take the above factors, along with students’ vaccination status, into consideration regarding decisions surrounding required mask usage in each specific class, at any point in time.


4. COVID-19 Infection Procedures:
   
   
   • Should any Act One student or staff test positive for COVID-19, Act One will immediately notify all students and their families in all classes.
   • Act One will notify the Durham Region Medical Authority to advise them of this occurrence and to request additional information as to what next steps to follow.
   • The school will be closed to all operations for at least 48 hours to allow for cleaning and disinfection of the facility, as well as allow time to learn the result of any follow-up contact tracing
   • No instructor, school staff, student or parent or guardian who tests positive for coronavirus will be allowed to reenter the school until they can provide proof of receiving a negative result from an official COVID-19 testing facility.


2020/21 Year End Performance Videos and Show Discs:

This past summer was unexpectedly and incredibly busy and unfortunately very demanding on my available time. As a result, I have only managed to complete editing about half of the year end class performances. For those whom I have not yet gotten to, I apologize. I have not forgotten about them and continue to work on them every chance I get.

For last year’s students, if you have not yet received an update e-mail from me regarding your class performance, it means it is one that I have not yet completed. I expect to get the remaining ones done over the coming two weeks. I will send an e-mail when each is available.

We hope the above information helps answer many of the common questions we have had over the past couple of weeks and keeps everyone updated with respect to Act One's current and planned future actions, as this Fall Term begins.

If anyone has any questions regarding this update or any other topic, please feel free to contact the school.

Sincerely,

Mark Nathanielsz

Owner/Artistic Director