Live Shows Are Back!

As Performances Return, What to Know Before You Go; Plus Chelsea Handler Interviewed

Describing the pandemic experience for venue operators as a “hellacious rollercoaster,” Teri Ball, executive director at Santa Barbara’s beloved Center Stage Theater, spoke for many when she said that the latest news about the Delta variant surge tested her resiliency. “I feel like with COVID, I’ve learned the opposite of the power of positive thinking,” Ball told me in a recent phone call. “Just when you think it’s going to get better, something comes along that sets us all back.” Despite the rise in cases and the return of the indoor masking mandate, great progress has been made, largely thanks to vaccines and the people who get them. As a result, we can finally look forward to the return of live performances to stages large and small, indoors and out, as Santa Barbara anticipates its first active in-person performing arts season since March 2020. The information that follows is presented in the spirit of allowing everyone to make well-informed choices that will leave them feeling safe.