Moxie Cinema will reopen to the public on Friday, Aug 21 with limited seating capacity and new procedures in place to minimize the spread of COVID-19 in our community. “We’re excited to start showing movies again,” said Mark McQueary, Moxie Cinema Board President. “Film is a powerful artform but at the core movies transport us to another world. They take us away from our day-to-day worries and that feels more important than ever right now. And we want to share this experience responsibly with our members, our patrons, and our community.” The opening comes 159 days after the downtown movie theater’s voluntary closure on March 16 to stem the spread of COVID 19. “We could have opened months ago,” said Mike Stevens, Executive Director of the Moxie. “Instead we opted to spend the extra time monitoring the situation as the city began reopening as well as to continue to make facility improvements like installing touchless water faucets.” The Moxie will limit ticket sales to 25% of available seats (30 people total) to ensure proper social distancing in their two theaters. Here are some of the additional steps, the Moxie is taking to ensure the safety of guests and staff:
- All staff will wear masks and gloves
- All guests will be required to wear face masks while in the lobby and in the theater unless eating
- All guests will be asked COVID-19-related health screening questions
- All guests will be required to leave contact information to facilitate contact tracing if the need arises
- Seating arrangements will follow all social distancing protocols. Groups must be at least 6-feet apart, with every-other-row empty. If you come with a group that has been quarantining together, you may sit together, but respect others and maintain a healthy social distance
- Seats, armrests and cupholders will be disinfected between every screening
- An additional 30 minutes has been added between screenings to reduce crowd overlap in the lobby and allow additional time for cleaning between shows
- Entrance and exits have been shifted to reduce lobby congestion
- We have installed touchless faucets and soap dispensers in the bathrooms
- The Moxie will be cleaned every day before opening. During business hours, staff will regularly clean any high touch point areas.
- Social distancing is encouraged with stickers placed on the floor and signage.
- All guests are encouraged to purchase their tickets through our website (moxiecinema.com) to maintain contactless payment methods.
- Because of the difficulty in ensuring proper sanitation and social distancing, the Moxie will postpone all in-person Moxie Kids events for the time being but will re-evaulate in August as Springfield Public Schools goes back in session. The program’s ongoing virtual offerings will continue.
The Moxie will continually monitor this situation and with the guidance of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department and local officials, update procedures as needed.
The first film on tap is Miranda July’s 2005 film “Me and You and Everyone We Know,” the first film shown at the Moxie more than 15 years ago. The Moxie is a two-screen non-profit movie theater in Downtown Springfield, MO. Since opening in 2004, it has grown into a mission-driven non-profit organization dedicated to enriching their community through the power of film to engage, educate and inspire.