The Georgetown Palace Theatre struggles to survive during COVID-19 pandemic

GEORGETOWN, Texas - COVID-19 is taking a toll on another venue in Central Texas.

The Palace Theatre in Georgetown is experiencing what they say are the hardest times the theatre has ever faced.

“They didn’t think of a pandemic when they said the show must go on but it’s something we are learning to live with,” said theatre president Art Rodriguez.

Rodriguez spoke about how the pandemic is looking to cancel more than just rehearsals. “Well we’ve gone through some tough times this is probably the toughest times the palace has ever seen. We’ve had to cancel over 200 performances,” he said.

Right now even their actors wear masks on stage, just one of the many changes they are doing to not only ensure safety but to get more people to come out and enjoy the show.

“Doing a performance in masks is challenging, it presents a unique problem, microphones don’t pick up sound as well through a mask, and we are fortunate our audience has been extremely forgiving,” said Rodriguez.

Even with their changes, the turnout at their productions is nowhere near what it was before the shutdown. Employees had to be furloughed and hours reduced, all in an effort for this theatre to survive.

However, the show must go on, and this long-standing theatre isn’t going down without a fight. They’re adapting to the capacity regulations currently in place. They are working on outdoor productions. “We do the outside shows because we get a greater capacity outside and what we have found is people are a lot more comfortable at the theater when it’s outdoors as opposed to coming inside the theater,” said Rodriguez.

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Rodriguez said they are looking at all options in order to try and save the theatre, even asking those in the community to donate if possible. “We’re actually facing some really tough times right now,” he said.

The Palace Theatre was built in the 1920s originally as a movie theater, but in the 90s it made the switch to traditional plays and has stayed this way ever since. The theatre has even started to show outdoor movies now while they work on their outdoor plays.

To donate, visit the Palace Theatre's Facebook page.

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