Letter from the PCS President (Update 5)
Dear Friends,
We hope that this summer you are finding some solace and a respite from the havoc that 2020 has wrought on all of us. Here at the Players Club of Swarthmore (PCS) we are trying to do the same.
Alas, it looks like 2020 is going to get the best of us, but that doesn’t mean that in the end, we aren’t going to emerge as a better community – because that’s the plan.
It starts with a little bit of bad news, but we believe that a lot of good will emerge from it.
Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, PCS will remain completely closed through the remainder of 2020. Indoor activities have not become fully safe from the coronavirus yet, and until they do, we do not want to put our patrons, our performers or our staff at risk.
However, we believe that we can survive a 10-month shutdown and emerge from it in 2021 as a better, more diverse organization than we were prior to the pause.
We do have plans in place to feature a three-show mini-season on the Main Stage starting in late January, 2021 and running through the Spring, featuring two shows that were affected by our closure – Detroit and Anything Goes – and a third production to be announced.
But more importantly, this time away from concentrating on our art, is affording us the opportunity to concentrate on ourselves, and how we can be a better, more diverse, safe, and structured community.
We have recently created a committee tasked with improving access to our space to Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and are finding ways to not only tell their stories on stage, but to include them in leadership positions and have them help shape our path forward so that we can emerge from our implicitly biased bubble and be more representative of the community in which we live.
We’ve also created a committee tasked with modifying and enhancing our safety protocols in the areas of harassment and the prevention of abuse and assault, especially for minors and the more vulnerable members of our community.
And we’ve also come to the realization that our guiding operating documents and our mission statement need to be modernized and are beginning to undertake the process of working with our membership to update them to create better protocols for the daily operation of PCS moving forward.
So, as the sign on the front of our building says, we are at intermission, but you can be certain that what is taking place backstage will allow for a series of wonderful experiences for everyone who walks through our doors once the curtain rises again.
In the interim, stay tuned to our social media channels for continued updates and virtual opportunities to engage with PCS and look for more announcements where you can help support our theatre through your generous donations, keeping us sustainable until we can once again have a full season of entertainment for you.
Be well and stay safe.
Anthony SanFilippo
President, PCS Board of Governors
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