Phase 4.2 of the province's re-opening plan goes into effect on Monday, meaning that theatres and performance venues can now begin to host live events again. However, this is easier said than done.

Derik Cronan, the general manager of the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre says that because they have to book artists several months in advance, it may be some time before there are any performances. 

"Pretty much all our shows up until October have been postponed at this point. But with the news that we're able to open in a limited capacity, we've been reaching out to some Saskatchewan based artists to see if they'd be willing to perform under such conditions."

Meanwhile, while Saskatchewan's art scene may be opening up, many other provinces still have restrictions on indoor gatherings. Cronan says that this has a huge impact on whether artists would be willing to make the trip out to Saskatchewan.

"We still have our October shows that we held off announcing but the biggest concern we have with them is that the other provinces haven't announced that theatres can open. So if an artist can't tour across Canada then that may jeopardize the shows here in Moose Jaw. It's not worth having an artist fly out to Saskatchewan for just one or two shows when they previously had a thirty or forty show tour booked."

Still, Cronan is hopeful with Saskatchewan being where it's at.

"We're fortunate that Saskatchewan has moved faster than most of the other provinces. From some of the organizations in other provinces I've spoken to its sounds like the arts sector is being pushed back even further with talk of shows not happening until next fall. So I think in some ways, we're fortunate to be able to do this right now."

One problem facing the Cultural Centre right now is that it's difficult to judge the willingness of audiences to come to a live event right now. In addition, they still have a lot of planning to do to ensure that socially distant shows can take place at the Mae Wilson. Cronan says that they would probably only be able to use about eight seats per role given the theatre's size. Another problem is trying to keep audiences at a safe distance while entering and exiting the auditorium. 

For now, the Cultural Centre is moving ahead as best as they can and is currently partnering with the Saskatchewan Festival of Words to bring in the Regina-based Latin band "Andino Suns" for a free performance on July 18th. They will have more concrete details in the coming days.