Producer Daryl Roth Shares Details About Opening BLINDNESS Off-Broadway in April

On April 2, the first night that indoor theater is permitted to open in New York City, the Daryl Roth's Off-Broadway production of Blindness will begin performances at the Daryl Roth Theatre. The production will seat just 86 people in the audience at a time.

Blindness is an audio play adaptation of José Saramago's novel about a pandemic of infectious blindness. There are no actors and no stage. The play is narrated by Juliet Stevenson and directed by Walter Meierjohann.

Roth revealed "I felt a responsibility in some way to be among the first to give it a go and say, 'We can come back...This is a baby step forward. It's not theater as we know it, but it's leading us to the light. You can't be in theater and not take risks, even in the best of times. So this is a big risk in maybe not the best of times."

Read the full story on Variety HERE.

It was recently announced during a press conference held by New York governor Andrew Cuomo that arts and entertainment venues holding less than 10,000 people would 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.

It was also recently announced that select Broadway theaters, beginning with the Music Box on 45th Street, will open their doors to audiences for the first time since March 12, 2020, with a series of special NY PopsUp programs, and will put in motion safety protocols that will eventually be employed for Broadway's return.

Cabaret spaces such as The Green Room 42 are also among the city's venues to announce a return to live performances amid the lessening of restrictions.

When it comes to the re-opening of Broadway Daryl Roth revealed that she feels vaccinations are the key to Broadway's reopening, stating, "It's not about rules and regulations. It's about whether you can safely present something to enough people to make it worth your while."

At the time of this article's posting, the only Broadway show to have announced a concrete return date to the stage is Diana, which is planning to open on Broadway on December 16, 2021, with previews beginning on December 1.