Broadway theaters will be allowed to reopen as of Sept. 14 and social distancing inside of them will not be an issue since they”™ll be allowed to operate at 100% capacity, according to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.
The Broadway League, which has 700 members, including theater owners, producers and businesses serving the industry, said that ticket sales will resume this month and each show will determine its own performance schedule.
Cuomo made the reopening announcement May 5. It followed his previous announcement that live entertainment venues would be allowed to reopen with limitations on capacity.
“Visitors from all around the world have come to New York to experience the arts and culture and see iconic performances on Broadway, and sadly, the pandemic put this unique New York experience on pause,” Cuomo said. “Thankfully, as we continue to monitor the data and reopen our economy, we are now on track to allow full capacity performances on Broadway to resume beginning this September, bringing back this beloved world-famous attraction.”
Charlotte St. Martin, president of The Broadway League, said, “Restarting Broadway is a complex endeavor, requiring long lead times for productions the need to reconnect with a sustaining audience from across the country and around the world.”
St. Martin said that the League remains “cautiously optimistic about Broadway”™s ability to resume performances this fall.”
When Broadway was shut down on March 12, 2020, there were 31 productions running. In addition, there were eight new productions in rehearsals.
The Broadway League said that it will be working closely with the state regarding implementing any necessary health protocols such as use of face masks, health screenings, cleaning and disinfection procedures and the use of air filtration and theater ventilation.
It was estimated that prior to the pandemic weekly Broadway audiences were totaling just under 250,000. There were nearly 97,000 people in the Broadway workforce and it was estimated that Broadway was contributing about $14.7 billion annually to the New York City economy.
