 Our policy may change without notice, but at the time of this publication is still as follows: “All individuals are required to wear a mask (except when eating or drinking) and maintain a six-foot social distance from people not in their party at our events. Seating will be a minimum of eight feet from the stage. If you wish to make a custom seating pod for your party, arrive early and we’ll help you do it. (Our chairs are movable and configurable.) People who have already arrived and have arranged their seating will not be expected to move. This policy may change without notice. Some shows may have tighter restrictions by the performer’s request; any additional per-show guidance will be found on the individual show pages on this website.” |
End-of-October COVID-19 update: Although Vermont’s case count, hospitalizations, and deaths aren’t even close to being as terrible as most other places carrying the CDC’s “area of high public transmission” label, the number of new cases here in Windham County has gone up by almost 20% in the last two weeks. The month of October 2021 had the highest average number of new cases in Windham County since the beginning of the shutdown back in March 2020, an average of 34 daily cases per 100,000 people. (If you’re defiantly crowing “Only 34 out of 100,000!”, we suggest you dO yOuR oWn reSeArRcH on transmissibility.)
CDC guidance is that all people should wear masks indoors in high transmission areas, while guidance from the state of Vermont is that masking is encouraged but not required. Private businesses can make their own policies. Stage 33 Live’s policy has been created and changes to it are made with direction from the 33 Bridge Street owners and tenants. It makes absolutely no difference if you disagree with it or feel that it somehow infringes on your liberties.
All individuals are required to mask at our events. We’re not asking for proof of vaccination at this point unless the artist requests it of us. If they do, we will. (Performers aren’t required to wear a mask while on stage, in case this factors into your decision-making.)
We want to be crystal clear that we’re not “living in fear” or “sheeple” or “hysterical” or “suckered by the mainstream media.” We cordially invite anyone who thinks the health and wellbeing of the community and the performers is outweighed by their personal freedom to not wear a stupid mask to exercise their freedom to ‘cancel culture’ us. We’re OK with that.
The Stage 33 Live crew is vaxxed.
You should make our mostly-dormant newsletter your new friend who lets you know about upcoming shows (or substantive changes).
Stage 33 Live is a welcoming, casual, scrappy but well-mannered, big-hearted, nonprofit listening room in an industrial-rustic former factory with 40 seats, run by chipper upstart adult volunteers on an island in the rural Vermont village of Bellows Falls on the Connecticut River bordering New Hampshire.
Imagine a state-of-the-art, million-dollar performance center where big splashy shows happen… got it? That’s not us. We’re not a bar, club, restaurant, coffeshop, bookstore, or music store either. But we’re not savages – we do have coffee, soda, water, and snacks by donation.
We’re real and we operate on a human scale, yet our boots-on-the-ground core team and advisers bring a couple hundred years’ worth of experience in this stuff to the table. How such a thing improbably coalesced here in the sticks is a mystery.
We started this for our own local and regional composing musicians and spoken word presenters of original work. Along the way, we’ve attracted the attention of performers bigger than we are who asked to come play too. Cool.
The room has mostly defined itself as an acoustic folk/Americana singer-songwriter place, but we run jazz, pop, spoken word, rock, and more. Best way to be in the loop about what and when things are happening is to sign up for the email newsletter.
Although our listening events are intimate and informal and friendly, they’re rarely a good environment for squalling babies, ADHD kiddos, or disruptive adults. It’s all about honoring the stage. Cell phones off, pop a lozenge if you’ve got a cough, be attentive. Applaud like crazy though! Cheer a great solo, laugh loud at a good joke, or groan loud at a bad one. Heck, heckle in good nature if it seems appropriate. But honor the stage.
Seating is limited to 40 – first come, first served. For shows with advance tickets, the chairs up front are reserved for people who bought those. After the chairs are full, there’s some standing room.
Only original material written by the performers themselves is allowed, or works in the public domain. We host local, regional, and national professionals and amateurs alike, and we record and film them in the act for a radio/TV/internet program we’re working up – the homegrown love child of Tiny Desk Concerts, Ted Talks, Science Friday, and The Midnight Special, infused with the naive enthusiasm The Little Rascals.
We started with a couple $50 white-label kiddie-cameras because that’s what we could afford to get wheels on the ground. Middlin’ camera improvements were made in 2019, followed by a significant upgrade in 2021.
Everything we host is because somebody reached out to us. We don’t use a booking service, and we don’t solicit performers. The people on the stage and the people in the audience are both there because they chose to be there for each other. It’s a beautiful symbiosis.
If you’re a performer, this means that you shouldn’t wait for an invitation because it won’t come. Take a look at the “For Performers” page and then get in touch if you’re into it.
