Broadway May Mandate Vaccinations for Audiences and Workers. That’s Just One Reopening Challenge.
The announcement yesterday of the return of Patti LuPone in Company (previews begin Dec. 20) sealed it: Broadway is indeed coming back from its paralyzing pandemic slumber. But key questions over how to make its Sept. 14 reopening work and how to make theaters safe for audiences and workers remain unanswered.
Official protocols around how crowds will be organized entering and exiting the theaters, whether some shows will have staggered opening times to avoid crowding on the streets, and the use of masks and temperature checks have yet to be finalized.
A corresponding set of protocols for those working on productions—actors, stagehands, production staff—have yet to be agreed upon between the Broadway League and unions, all of which is being done with the consultation of infectious disease specialists. Broadway theaters will have new air filtration systems. The Daily Beast understands one major owner, Jujamcyn Theaters, has had new ventilation systems already installed.