Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Inclement Weather Cancellations
After an absolutely horrific 8+ hour commute home from GMU today, it got me wondering about the policies of various theaters, museums, dance companies, etc and what their inclement weather policies are and how they use technology to go about notifying the public of show cancellations and early closing times. I plan to look into this at a sampling of different arts institutes and report back...
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I did a random sampling of three theaters; one in VA, one in MD and one in DC and this is what I found:
Signature Theatre - Arlington VA
Box Office (703) 820-9771
Their website does not say anything about an inclement weather policy.
However, they do offer an exchange program for your tickets. 1) You must make your request 24 hours prior to the scheduled performance. 2) Exchange is subject to availability. 3) Exchange is free for subscribers but carries a $5 fee for all others.
If you can not use your Signature Theater tickets you may donate them back to Signature Theater. Donations must be done prior to the performance date.
Olney Theatre - Olney, MD
Box Office (301) 924-3400
Again, their website does not say anything about an inclement weather policy.
However, they do offer group discounts for groups of 15 or more. They also offer two types of student discounts: 1) $5 off any show except Saturdays; subject to availability. 2) A limited number of $10 student rush tickets available the day of the show. Reservations are recommended. A valid student id is required to receive either student discount.
The Shakespeare Theater - Washington, DC
Box Office (202) 547-1122
Finally!! A website that gives you their inclement weather policy, which is:
Cancellations for evening performances are decided late in the afternoon. If a performance is cancelled due to weather they will 1) Post it on the main page of their website and 2) they will try to call all ticket holders and notify them by phone. 3) You can also get cancellation information by calling the box office. If a show is cancelled you may be offered an exchange or refund for your ticket.
They also offer a link to the DC Public School System to get information about DC street closings and traffic issues. In addition they note that traffic is heavier and parking harder to find when there are events at the Verizon Center and offer a link to the Verizon Center event calendar. Furthermore, they offer a link to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority for information on Metro Rail and Metro Bus.
Excellent job Shakespeare Theater!!
As I comb through the internet I found this on the Art League of Germantown web site regarding inclement weather:
ALOG Inclement Weather Policy
Under severe weather conditions it may become necessary to postpone or cancel an ALOG meeting. Usually this will be done as much in advance of the meeting as possible. There are conditions where snow or freezing rain may develop on the day of an ALOG meeting and advance notice of a postponement or cancellation may not be possible. In those situations where notification may come later in the day, this is our procedure and indicators for postponement or cancellation:
1. ALOG will make a decision as early as possible and send out an email to the membership informing of a postponement or cancellation or that the meeting will be held as scheduled.
2. The BlackRock Center for the Arts is a county building. If the county closes down its facilities due to inclement weather, then BlackRock will be closed and the meeting will not be held.
Note: BlackRock is not linked to county school closings. If the schools close it does not mean that BlackRock is closed.
You may call BlackRock (301-528-2260) to see if they are open. Usually if BlackRock remains open then our meeting will be held. Check your email later in the afternoon for an update notice about our meeting status.
3. Check the ALOG website for meeting cancellations. As soon as a decision is made we will update the “marquee crawl” on the main page of our website with the latest meeting information.
Note: There have been bad weather situations that developed very late in the afternoon or early evening on the day of our meeting. Board members created an emergency phone network to call all members to notify them of unexpected cancellations. This “fail-safe” procedure will be implemented for last-minute changes or in the event of internet outages.
If all else fails, use your creative minds and common sense to make the best decision for yourselves when bad weather and driving conditions are factors.
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