The Mimes and Mummers, a Rose Hill theater club, performed a full production of “Footloose” on the weekend of Oct. 9 with the cast unmasked, prompting concerns from members of the Fordham Lincoln Center (FLC) theatre program, which has been under a strict mask mandate for live performances.

Laura Auricchio, dean of Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC), said she spoke with Chris Rodgers, dean of students at Rose Hill; and Keith Eldredge, dean of student services. Both Eldredge and Rodgers were unaware that The Mimes and Mummers performed without masks

“They reassured me that it would not happen again,” she said.

Fordham Theater students at Lincoln Center are expected to wear masks in all performances unless they stand 12 feet apart on stage at all times and get tested for COVID-19 every night. Photos from The Mimes and Mummers performance of “Footloose” show actors touching and standing closely together on stage without masks.

“Am I to believe that there are different protocols for dealing with COVID-19 in performances at Rose Hill versus Lincoln Center?”Orlando Whitcomb-Warden, FCLC ’22

“Am I to believe that there are different protocols for dealing with COVID-19 in performances at Rose Hill versus Lincoln Center? Is this because LC has a theatre program and Mimes and Mummers is a club?,” Orlando Whitcomb-Warden, FCLC ’22 and a student in the Fordham theatre program, said in an email sent to various school deans. “Why are our productions held to different standards, especially in a large space like Pope Auditorium with plenty of space for distancing on stage?”

Griffin LaMarche, Gabelli School of Business at Fordham College at Rose Hill ’22 and president of The Mimes and Mummers, said the executive board of The Mimes and Mummers emphasized that the unmasked performance was not a misstep by their directors, club members, cast, crew, or by the Rose Hill administration. 

“Full responsibility falls on the executive board and the executive board only and we are reviewing our protocol with the Rose Hill administration to ensure we can best protect ourselves in adherence to Fordham’s COVID-19 policy,” LaMarche said.

“It makes sense to have a strict testing protocol during the running of shows that are open to non-Fordham audience members.”Eva Gelman, FCLC ’24

LaMarche said the group performed Footloose under the assumption that masks could be taken off for performances if all performers were vaccinated and adhered to strict COVID-19 protocols during the rehearsal process. 

“We believed we had followed the policies and guidelines put in place by the University to its fullest extent, though we recognize our performances do not reflect the precautions and safety measures we undertook to protect our community,” LaMarche said.

He said the cast and crew participated in weekly PCR testing, mandatory mask wearing during rehearsals and at all times for non-performers, and a self-imposed quarantine for the full cast and crew during the tech week of the show.

LaMarche said the decision to adhere to COVID-19 policies during rehearsal but perform unmasked was made in line with a precedent the club leaders believed was set by other extracurricular clubs on campus. 

“While we recognize this was not reflected in our performances, we want to emphasize that The Mimes and Mummers fully adhered to Fordham Rose Hill’s COVID-19 policy throughout the entire rehearsal process, and took extra precautions to ensure the safety of our cast, crew, audience, and University during our performances,” LaMarche said. “We realize now that we were responsible for double checking with the University.”

Confusion in the FLC Theatre Department

At FLC, a false rumor began to spread during the past two weeks that a student rehearsing for the theatre department’s mainstage show “The Drag” had a vaccine exemption, prompting new protocols for masking on stage.

On Oct. 21, the theatre faculty and staff sent an email to everyone in the program acknowledging the rumor and explaining new safety steps they had planned after hearing the rumor. They stated that they decided to pause rehearsal to have thoughtful conversation and “ensure the safety of those in the room and those they go home to.”

The email also stated that the theatre program immediately requested KN95 masks from administration, as well as a COVID-19 compliance officer (CCO) to be present at all rehearsals. A CCO enforces COVID-19 protocols during theater operations and works with members of the theatre department to develop plans in the case of a COVID-19 outbreak.

“We were immediately supplied with masks, but our requests for testing and a CCO were denied,” the email stated. “The Administration also informed us that with a vaccine-exempt person in the company, the performances had to be closed to the public.”

Faculty and staff received word from the administration that verified there was no vaccine-exempt person rehearsing for “The Drag.”

The faculty and staff also stated that they were discussing the possibility of hiring a CCO at their own expense and spreading the word that performances would only be open to the Fordham community.

Hours before sending the email to the theatre program, faculty and staff received word from the administration that verified there was no vaccine-exempt person rehearsing for “The Drag.”

“We are therefore moving forward asking the Administration to be able to proceed with the performances being open to the public and are confirming if we are able to move forward without a Covid Compliance Officer in the room,” said the email from Fordham theater faculty and staff.

Many FLC theatre program students still expressed discontent with the situation.

The theater faculty and staff emphasized that they will communicate frequently with administrators and work toward more transparency. 

Many FLC theatre program students still expressed discontent with the situation. 

“I think there are a number of things that Fordham Theatre could do about COVID that would be far more effective than this, given that people in the department obviously interact outside of mainstage rehearsal. The biggest thing for me would be to implement a testing protocol for people that are in the theatre department,” Eva Gelman, FCLC ’24, said. “It’s just true that people in theater classes interact more closely than those outside of the program, and it makes sense to have a strict testing protocol during the running of shows that are open to non-Fordham audience members.”

The theater faculty and staff reminded students to remain diligent with safety protocols to ensure the safety of “our community, invited guests, and their close contacts.”

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The Mimes and Mummers will be performing “Rumors” late in the fall semester and Fordham Theatre will be performing “The Drag” from Nov. 10 through Nov. 20.

Allie Stofer and Joe Kottke contributed reporting to this story.