Jetty Memorial Theatre to Reopen

The curtain will once again rise at the Jetty Memorial Theatre when it reopens to patrons – with restrictions – from tomorrow (Tuesday, 7 July).

“Having the Theatre back in action will be wonderful for both residents and visitors who have made clear how much they have been missing this well-loved and vital part of the city’s performing arts scene,” said Enzo Accadia, Coffs Harbour City Council’s Section Leader Community Programs.

While the easing of the COVID-19 restrictions has allowed the Theatre to open its doors, a number of safety measures will be in place. These include:

Capacity not exceeding one person per four square metres of publicly accessible space (excluding staff); and Seated groups or individuals to be separated by 1-2 empty seats on both sides to support physical distancing.

The Jetty Theatre Box Office will be open each week from Tuesday to Friday, 12pm-4pm, from 7 July.

As the restrictions will limit the capacity of the theatre space to 44 people, the theatre has planned the following activities:

an exhibition of the cardboard creations from the recently successful Cardboard Crowd Concert Series. Running from 7-10 July, it’s an opportunity to see the community-created audience up close. Cinematinee screenings will start from Thursday, 23 July, with two sessions every second Thursday at 2pm and 6pm.

The majority of shows have been rescheduled for later this year or 2021. Check out the Jetty Theatre website for information on performance dates, information and ticketing.

Other Cultural Facilities

People visiting the Regional Gallery and Regional Museum on a casual basis will no longer need to pre-book from tomorrow (Tuesday, 7 July), but physical distancing requirements will remain for the time being and staff will monitor visitor numbers in the facilities. People will still need to book for events such as exhibition openings and artist talks or tours.

The current limited opening hours will continue, but are being regularly reviewed:

Current Regional Gallery open hours:

Tuesday – Friday 10am to 4pm. Saturday – 9:30am to 12 noon.

Current Regional Museum open hours:

Tuesday – Thursday 10am to 1pm. Closed on Fridays and Saturdays.

In addition, in line with the planned easing of COVID-19 restrictions, Council’s libraries will be bringing in the following changes from today (Monday 6 July):

Allowable on-site visit time increased to 60 minutes; Library member use of the public computers increased to 60 minutes, but governed by physical distancing guidelines; The maximum number of on-site visitors increased, but still within the one person per four square metres requirement; Return of study spaces with physical distancing guidelines; Return of public wifi access; and Voluntary recording of visitor details for potential contact tracing.

The current shorter opening hours will continue, but these are also being reviewed on an ongoing basis:

Toormina and Woolgoolga Libraries – 10 am to 1 pm, Monday to Friday. Harry Bailey Memorial Library – 10 am to 12 noon and 1pm to 5pm, Monday to Friday. All branches – 10 am to noon, Saturdays.

As with all Council facilities, we would urge anyone who feels unwell to stay home.