Thoughts on the Return to Live In-Person Indoor Storytelling Events

Every day I check the COVID statistics for Missoula County. 

Missoulians are slowly getting vaccinated. In August 2021, when we had our last event, which was outdoors, 62% of Missoula County was vaccinated.

The current numbers are:

Population Eligible for Vaccination: 115,881

Number Fully Immunized: 75,296 

Percentage of Eligible Population Fully Vaccinated: 65%

I took an anonymous survey after the August 2021 event asking attendees about their vaccination status among other questions. Of the 103 respondents, 97.1% reported being fully vaccinated. 90.9% of attendees reported wearing a mask during the event. Tell Us Something attendees are a responsible and respectful bunch.

As much as I would like to require vaccinations of attendees, with the current state of Montana law, I am unable to do this. I am also not allowed to require masks to be worn, though I can strongly suggest it, which I am doing.

When I think about indoor shows in 2022, I too would like more people to be vaccinated, wear masks and be safe. I also think about audience capacity, air circulation, and the layout of the venue. When The Wilma underwent the remodel back in  2015, the ventilation system also underwent a huge upgrade. With the high ceilings and the ventilation capacity, the air circulation in the room is excellent. Logjampresents has been hosting large full-capacity events at The Wilma for quite some time now since the lockdown was lifted. And Logjam is taking COVID seriously.

I feel confident that the event will be safe for everyone attending, and that the audience will be respectful and responsible.

We are operating the event at 75% capacity, which allows for about 619 seats. People will be able to spread out as much as they like. I am encouraging masks to be worn and will have extra masks available on site, as well as hand sanitizer.

I considered smaller venues, and all of the smaller venues that I can think of would not allow for spaced-out seating and enough audience members to be able to produce an event for one night. Most storytellers who are recruited from the local community would not be able to commit to multiple nights. The Wilma is currently the best option.

Please reach out with concerns or questions you have. [email protected]

The show is on March 30 at 7 PM. The theme is “Stone Soup”. You can get your tickets here.