The Shed Announces Indoor Live Music and Comedy Series Featuring Renée Fleming, Michelle Wolf, and More

The Shed today announced An Audience with..., a five-night indoor performance series from April 2 to 22 produced by The Shed in accordance with New York State health guidelines. The series will bring back audiences to experience live music and comedy safely, and performances will take place in The Shed's flexible 18,000-square-foot McCourt space with a state-of-the-art MERV ventilation system, 115-foot-high ceilings, and distanced seating for 150 people.

An Audience with... opens with singer and cellist Kelsey Lu on April 2 and continues with musicians from the New York Philharmonic on April 14 and 15, soprano Renée Fleming on April 21, and comedian Michelle Wolf on April 22. All performances are at 8 pm.

An Audience with... will kick off The Shed's spring/summer program including 27 local artists in the second edition of Open Call, a large-scale commissioning program for NYC-based early-career artists across performance, visual arts, and popular culture, opening in June. The Shed is also partnering with Frieze New York, which will bring the city's premier art fair with over 60 galleries to The Shed in May, and will collaborate with the Tribeca Film Festival on programs at The Shed in June. Additional programs to be announced.

Alex Poots, Artistic Director and CEO of The Shed, said, "After an unprecedented yearlong shutdown of indoor performance in New York, The Shed looks to once again celebrate the irreplaceable communal experience of attending a live show. Through music and comedy, we hope An Audience with... will provide some much-needed beauty and joy for both artists and audiences and, along with our other spring/summer programs, will contribute to our city's recovery."

"I believe that the exchange between audience and performer is vital to the energy flow of life, and it's absence has left such a void for us all," said Kelsey Lu. "I'm beyond honored to be one of the first to open up this flow again at The Shed and look forward to feeling everyone's presence."

"When I performed in its very first events, I was struck by the architectural innovation of The Shed, especially the amazing flexible enclosure of The McCourt," said Renée Fleming. "It could not be more ideal for these unusual circumstances, as we finally begin to gather again, safely, for live performances."

With guidance from the NYS Department of Health, The Shed is implementing a thorough plan to ensure a safe experience for the audience, artists, and staff. To reduce person-to-person interaction at An Audience with..., attendance will be limited to 12 percent of The McCourt's seated capacity with the audience seated in pairs and socially distanced six feet apart. There will be contactless ticket scanning, timed entry and exit, and no coat check, intermission, food/drink concessions, nor merchandise sales. The artists will perform a single set no longer than 80 minutes and, with the exception of performers who must sing or speak, all performers will be masked and distanced by 12 feet on stage.

All patrons will be required to adhere to the following guidelines as detailed by the NYS Department of Health:

- Upon arrival, attendees must present one of the following: confirmation of a negative Covid-19 PCR/NAAT test taken within 72 hours of the event start time or a Covid-19 antigen "rapid" test within six hours of the event start time, or confirmation of having completed the Covid-19 vaccination series at least 14 days prior to the date of the event
- Temperature check
- Covid-19 health questionnaire completed pre-arrival
- Participation in contact tracing
- Remain masked and seated except for entry/exit/restroom use

Tickets will go on sale next week; details are available on TheShed.org. Continuing The Shed's commitment to accessibility and lowering barriers to entry, 10 percent of tickets to An Audience with... will be distributed free to nonprofit partners via The Shed's Ticket Access Program.