Industry Pro Newsletter: The Reopening Questions Are Becoming Real

March 8, 2021 -

As we approach the one year anniversary of Broadway shutting down due to the pandemic, the questions of reopening are finally moving from the theoretical to the real. What are the procedures going to look like? In places where venues are allowed to operate at some (or full) capacity, the questions look more like what the business model should look like, how to do it safely, and will audiences actually return? This week, we have a series of stories about reopening plans, reopening struggles, and how sometimes the science and policy aren't always aligning.

Starting April 2, Live Performance Venues Can Open at 33% Capacity in New York

Up to 100 people will be allowed at indoor events and 200 at outdoor venues. As part of this expansion, some Broadway venues will be utilized as part of the NY PopsUp programming. If all attendees are providing proof of a recent negative Covid test, capacities increase to 150 people indoors and 500 people outdoors.

"Open Culture" Permits Are Open for Application in NYC, But AEA Isn't Happy

Citing a lack of a living wage requirement, workers compensation insurance, and other workplace standards that Actors' Equity requires of their producers, the union sent a member alert to its New York Membership warning them to consult with the AEA offices before accepting work as part of the Open Culture program.

In Chicago, Rules Don't Factor in Size of Room

Chris Jones, Theatre Critic for the Chicago Tribune, decries that the current phase of reopening for Chicago doesn't make sense without an interim step that gets more patrons into theatres in a socially distanced and safe manner - currently the cap is at 50 people per room - regardless of room size, which means massive auditoriums can only entertain as many people as a single room at a restaurant.

Allowed to Reopen - But That's Not the End of the Choice

As more jurisdictions begin to reduce restrictions, many theatres are now faced with the choice of being allowed to reopen by governmental standards, but what does that mean for their artists, staff, and audiences? Should they reopen? Even when they're allowed, can they by union agreement? The Daily Record in Maryland writes about how Baltimore area theatres are navigating this issue.

Museums, Attending the Theatre May Be The Safest Indoor Activities

Despite restrictions on reopening, a German study indicates that with capacity capped at 30% and audience members wearing masks, the risk of Covid exposure is at its lowest potential rate when attending the theatre or a museum. At 40% capacity and masks it becomes the third safest indoor activity, with going to a hair salon as number 2.

The Majority of DC Theatregoers Won't Be Ready to Return Until December

As reported by American Theatre, research from Limelight Insights by Shugoll indicates that while most theatres are eyeing a fall return, the majority of audience members won't be ready to return until December - with that number ticking up to a full 60% in January of 2022. Other important factors to note from the results of this survey indicate that the majority of audience members anticipate socially distanced seating to be the norm in the fall (and wouldn't want to attend without it), and other health protocols like temperature checks, testing, and more would be necessary to make them feel comfortable enough to return.

Navigating the Shutdown for Long Time Theatre Artists

The Los Angeles Times' Charles McNulty caught up with a myriad of Los Angeles and California based theatre artists - particularly those who had spent their whole careers in the theatre - to see how they've been pivoting during the pandemic. He discovered that for many of them, since hustling is what they've always done, that's what they kept doing.

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