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AT happier valley comedy,
​Community safety is our priority

read below for hvc health requirements
​as of january 2022 and effective until further notice: 
​

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community guidelines  at hvc theater & the next door lounge
for classes, shows, and all other events
Upon Arriving at HVC:
  • You're required to show proof of a full vaccination series and up-to-date booster shot to enter HVC. CDC vaccine card, photo of card, or healthcare app all accepted. (Massachusetts now offers a Smart Vaccine Card with instructions on how to download to your electronic wallet or Apple Health app to easily show your vaccine record.)
  • You're required to wear upgraded medical masking (N95, KN95, or equivalent) or else double up your masking, such as cloth + surgical mask or two surgical masks in order to reduce gaps between face and masks. Disposable surgical masks available at the door.
  • Do not visit the theater if you have a fever and/or are experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, loss of taste/smell, or at least two of the following symptoms: cough, shortness of breath, or sore throat. For shows/workshops: Email us if you’re unable to attend an event due to illness, COVID exposure, or heightened risk, so we can process your refund if possible.

If You Test Positive for COVID:
  • Please email us to let us know. If you were possibly infectious while at HVC, we will inform anyone in the room with you that they may have had an exposure. You will NOT be mentioned by name or any identifying details to protect your privacy.
  • ​Do not come to HVC for at least 5 days after your positive test or symptoms appear (or 10 days if you are severely ill.)
  • ​If you were symptomatic: You may come to the theater after 5 full days once you are fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and do not have other symptoms. If you were severely ill, you must wait 10 days before coming to the theater.
  • If you were asymptomatic: You may come to the theater 5 full days after your positive test.
  • ​Take a rapid COVID test within 24 hours before coming to HVC.  Collect the test sample only if you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and your other symptoms have improved (loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation). If your test result is positive, you cannot come into HVC until after day 10. Free testing is available at CVS, Walgreens, UMass, the Hadley Senior Center, and more options here. (Contact us before returning to HVC if testing is not possible.)
  • You are required to maintain strict upgraded masking, including not removing your mask for sipping/drinking/eating, for 10 full days while at HVC.
  • We recommend following CDC recommendations to formally isolate at home for at least 5 days following symptom onset or date of positive test.
  • FYI: The date of your symptom or positive test is considered day 0. Day 1 is the first full day after your symptoms began or the positive test. This quarantine/isolation calculator may be helpful. 
  • Take 5 Good Breaths. This is what vaccines are made for! Also, drink lots of fluids, get rest, and we hope you feel better soon!

If You Have Close Contact with Someone with COVID and You're Fully Boosted:
  • Take 5 Good Breaths. This is what vaccines are made for!
  • You may come to HVC as long as you don't test positive or have symptoms.
  • Required: Get tested (preferably PCR) at least 5 days after you last had close contact with someone with COVID even if you don't have symptoms. Free testing is available at CVS, Walgreens, UMass, the Hadley Senior Center, and more options here.
  • You are required to maintain strict upgraded masking, including not removing your mask for sipping/drinking/eating, for 10 full days from last exposure while at HVC. 
  • “Close contact” refers to time you spent directly with an infected person. This means you were within 6 feet of an infected person for a collective total of 15 minutes or more within a 24-hour period. The date of the last close contact is considered day 0. Day 1 is the first full day after exposure to someone who tested positive. (More info on the CDC website here.)
  • If you test positive or develop COVID symptoms, you may not enter HVC for at least 5 days. Follow the “Test Positive” protocol above, drink lots of fluids, get rest, and we hope you feel better soon!

If You Have Close Contact with Someone with COVID and You're NOT Up to Date on Your Vaccines and Booster:
​ We will continue to adjust our safety guidelines based on current infection rates and hospitalizations across Hampshire, Hampden, and Franklin Counties.

VACCINATED STAFF
All performers, teachers, and staff are up to date on vaccines and boosters against COVID-19. 

Performers will not wear masks while onstage during shows, but there will be 10 feet of space between the stage and the first row of the masked audience.

masking
As of 2022, UPGRADED MASKS ARE REQUIRED AT ALL TIMES AT HVC.  Cloth masks alone are not sufficient for entry. We strongly suggest wearing medical grade masks (KN95, N95, etc.) If that is not possible, we will provide a surgical mask to wear under your cloth mask while at HVC. 

Masks must always be worn unless eating or drinking in your seat in the Next Door Lounge.​

HVAC improvements
(to theater and classroom)
In 2021, we invested in significant improvements to the HVAC system to keep our community safer. These improvements were only made in the theater and classroom, not to HVC's Next Door Lounge.

In the theater, we invested in significant upgrades to our ventilation system, including a new ERV (energy recovery ventilator) which constantly pulls used air out of the space and replaces it with fresh air from outside. When running at full, all the air in the theater can be totally refreshed every 15 minutes! The energy cost of constantly heating/cooling fresh outside air is offset by the system running used air and new air safely past each other to share temperatures but not contamination (this is the energy recovery in the name). The benefits here should be clear, as the research shows the safest way to be indoors is to introduce as much fresh air as possible.

Additional upgrades also improve airflow by adding extra supply vents (where the air enters the space) in both rooms and also adding an extra return vent (where the air leaves the space) to the classroom. This change:
  • Helps keep both rooms the same comfortable temperature during classes
  • Prevents too much air from blowing onto any one spot in either room
  • Allows more used air to be constantly removed from the space

We also replaced the large return duct in the theater with a simpler, more efficient vent, and we put new HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters in both return vents. This change:
  • Captures particles of all sizes in the air of the room, including bacteria, pollen, mold, and viruses
  • Reduces the overall noise of the system

Finally, we now have small air purifiers with their own HEPA filters in the classroom and theater bathrooms.

release WAIVER
Audience members and students must agree to an online waiver when purchasing a ticket for a show or registering for a class. This form acknowledges the ongoing possible risk of COVID-19 infection and prohibits entry to anyone experiencing symptoms related to the Coronavirus.

thank you for your cooperation, trust, and good will!

click here to email us with any questions or suggestions!

Your joy & ease is Our Mission

    Happier Valley Comedy, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that brings laughter, joy, and ease to Western Massachusetts (and the world) through the principles of improvisation. We serve up the happy through our training center, shows, and professional/personal development programs.
HVC is committed to using the tenets of improvisation as a tool to amplify each person’s authentic voice and creativity in an inclusive, welcoming community inspired and empowered by the diversity of all members.

HVC is committed to these core values:
Follow the Joy and Ease
Assume Good Will
Be of Service
Redefine and Disempower Failure
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Got Questions? Email Us!