Will the Show Go on Amid Today's Blizzard? 5 NYC Performers Share Their Stories

The historic blizzard hitting New York City is shutting down parts of the city – will the show still go on? Mamdani is urging New Yorkers to stay home and indoors until the weather calms down a bit, and many artists had to make a difficult decision about whether to cancel or reschedule amid the storm. We chatted with a few performers and artists who were producing shows originally scheduled for today about the stress, anxiety, and lost money, time and energy of the weather derailing their time slot.

Performer Marisa Caruso, whose solo show How to Make a Doll at Brooklyn Art Haus was rescheduled to Friday January 30 at 7 pm

My show was scheduled for Sunday 1/25 at 7 pm. It was booked mid-December.

I decided to reschedule, which I would have liked to decide a few days ago when the news about the storm became more alarming and official, but the venue policy was to wait for a stay-at-home order so thankfully that came Saturday morning. Even though it’s a solo show and I’ve done it several times before, I’ve been planning tech for this particular space, rehearsing and promoting for the last month because, for theater, five weeks was short notice for creating a tech and marketing plan. I knew cancellation would feel very disappointing considering all this effort, and the whole point was to perform this play for the first time in NYC because it was developed upstate.

Do you have any other producing horror stories where your show got derailed due to something out of your control, like weather or a problem at the venue?
Early in my producing days I was doing a lot of improv and I decided the weekly drop-in class I was hosting would perform in the bar next to our rehearsal space- if you have ever seen improv in a bar that is actively serving drinks and coincidentally hosting the state comptroller’s birthday party- you can imagine what a failure of a gig it was! I learned the valuable lesson of competing activities and the importance of venue exclusivity when attention is necessary to a successful event. It isn’t always necessary, but it’s almost always helpful!

Also, I’ve done a lot of outdoor theater, which is always at risk of being derailed by rain, hail, lightning, high winds, flooding… no matter the season!

What’s your show’s new date?

The new date is this Friday 1/30 at 7 pm so I’m relieved to be able to keep the momentum going from this process and provide an alternative for all the friends and potential audience for the show- all without anyone getting stranded on public transit!

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I just want to add that even fairly simple one-night-only events often have hundreds or more dollars invested in them from insurance, to rental deposits, rehearsal space, supplies, labor, storage, travel, marketing, and the cost of energy to coordinate and reach out- there’s a LOT on the line for independent producers, especially for NYC events- so cancellations and rescheduling a do not happen without a lot of stress and care. Support live arts by living artists- see some shows unless it’s actually dangerous to leave your home!

Comedian Patrick Golden, whose show at the Comedy Shop at 2 pm today was canceled

How long ago had you gotten the date?

I was given this date beginning of December

Did you decide to reschedule, cancel or keep your date? What went into that decision?

I haven’t canceled the show yet. Will be making an executive decision tonight/early morning tomorrow. It all depends on how bad this winter storm is.

What’s funny is that I was given two dates beginning of December. The December show ironically also got canceled because I got stranded in Houston because of inclement weather in NYC.

If this ends up canceling, I’m unlikely to reschedule. I’ll consider it donezo

Did you lose anything on this?

Thankfully I didn’t have to pay a deposit. I learned my lesson after December’s cancellation to no longer throw money at Eventbrite and Instagram ads. I lost about $125 because of that. 

But in terms of the labor of creating the flyer, paying for a flyer to hang at the store, booking the lineup, filming a promo It ended up being a bunch of work for a lot of nothing

Musician Jim Joustra, who canceled a residency performance tonight in Brooklyn

When was your show originally scheduled for and how long ago had you gotten the date?

My gig with Rob Nuovo and Nik Munson was scheduled for January 25th as the continuation of an ongoing residency at one of my favorite restaurants in NYC, Monarch Izakaya Restaurant in Williamsburg.

Did you decide to reschedule, cancel or keep your date? What went into that decision?

At first, my feeling was “the show must go on!” And I do detest canceling gigs! But with the musicians AND the crowd coming from all different boroughs, we felt for the safety of everyone involved (musicians, bartenders, cooks, hosts, etc.) that we should move the date ahead. The venue was incredibly accommodating and booked us the following Sunday. 

Do you have any other producing horror stories where your show got derailed due to something out of your control, like weather or a problem at the venue?

Once my quartet with Drew Azzinaro (Jim Joustra Band) got rained out at an outside festival kind of gig, so we packed up the little gear we had already set up and headed out to my parents’ house. We set everything up on my back porch and played. I remember getting into a real nice jam and having my eyes closed. When I opened them, I saw a police officer watching with his arms crossed. We tapered the jam and last verse down pretty quickly. The cop was cool. He let us finish the song before shutting us down. 

If your show is rescheduled, what’s your new date?

February 1st! 7-9 pm at 146 Metropolitan Avenue. Genre: Jazz/Experimental/Improvisation

Asif Lakhani, co-producer of Brown Disorganized Comedy at West Side Comedy Club

The show was originally scheduled for Sunday, January 25th; the date was given to us by the club over the winter holidays, so it was on the books for a couple months.

The decision was made to reschedule to one week later (next Sunday). Hopefully, we can actually still do it then as planned! The club was the primary driver of the decision, along with a potential “State of Emergency” declaration for New York. As a producer on the show (and comic myself), I was already thinking about a contingency plan before either of these things were finalized.

As for other horror stories, there have been times were the audio didn’t work properly. I’ve not run into many weather issues as a producer personally, but climate anxiety is a big fear of mine and something I think about constantly. (Outdoor shows seem less appealing to run now during heatwaves, for example.)

If I could add anything else, I’d just say climate change and science impacts all of us whether we know it or not.

Comedian Taylor Drew, whose birthday roast show Assisted Suicide at Hellphone was canceled

When was your show originally scheduled for and how long ago had you gotten the date?
1/25, and I’ve had the date for over a month

Did you decide to reschedule, cancel or keep your date? What went into that decision?

I’m not able to reschedule because I’m producing multiple shows these next few months and won’t have time, so I had to just fully cancel it. It sucked because it was an event for my birthday.

Do you have any other producing horror stories?

One time a venue owner let the show that was going on after us set up and leave all their stuff on stage and it took up 45 min to get it moved and then the other show just sat in the doorway turning away ticket holders so they could start early.

If your show is rescheduled, what’s your new date?
No new date. Just cancelled event that had over 30 comics booked.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Fuck ICE and the ice