Broadway Shows Holding September Dates for Re-Openings; Could Be Sooner

As BroadwayWorld reported last week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is keen on getting the theatre district up and running again. In addition to announcing plans to create vaccine distribution sites for theatre workers, he also kept hopes of Broadway's return alive by revealing that reopening in the fall 2021 is still the goal.

Now in an interview with The Points Guy, Broadway League President Charlotte St. Martin confirms that intended timeline. She reveals that some shows are "tentatively holding September dates for reopening or opening," with a several others planning on October and November.

"If some miracle happened - the [COVID-19] incidence rate went down dramatically, the vaccination rate went up dramatically - [Broadway's return] could be sooner," she added. "But as of right now, we're looking at September."

In the coming weeks there are plans for a dedicated vaccination site on Broadway for the theater industry, a mobile unit for off-Broadway, pop-up COVID testing sites by theatres, and plans underway to manage crowds before and after shows.

New York state vaccine eligibility does not yet include theatre workers specifically, but De Blasio's plans are intended to make the vaccine more accessible to the industry.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced earlier this month the long-awaited return of live indoor performance across New York State will commence April 2, 2021 with the reopening of a significant number of Flexible Venues ("Flex Venues") as part of an ongoing systematic effort to help jumpstart New York's struggling live entertainment sector. New York event, arts and entertainment venues holding less than 10,000 people will be allowed to reopen at 33% capacity beginning April 2. Up to 100 people will be allowed indoors, and 200 people will be allowed outdoors.

Read more about the current state of Broadway.