Broadway to Remain Closed for the Rest of the Year Due to Coronavirus

People
·2 min read

Broadway will remain dark through till 2021.

On Monday, the Broadway League, the national trade association that represents the theater industry, announced that all Broadway performances will be suspended through the rest of the year as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak continues.

The league is offering refunds and exchanges for tickets purchased for all performances through Jan. 3, 2021, it said.

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"Every single member of our community is eager to get back to work sharing stories that inspire our audience through the transformative power of a shared live experience. The safety of our cast, crew, orchestra and audience is our highest priority and we look forward to returning to our stages only when it’s safe to do so. One thing is for sure, when we return we will be stronger and more needed than ever," Thomas Schumacher, chair of the board of The Broadway League, said.

Roy Rochlin/Getty Images The Richard Rodgers Theatre, home of Hamilton, photographed on March 13

Broadway has been dark since March 12, with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Broadway League shutting the theaters to help stop the spread of the global pandemic.

The shutdown is the longest in Broadway history, surpassing pauses in performances made after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, as well as the strikes in 1919, 1960, 1964, 1975, and 2003.

Since performances stopped, thousands of people in the industry have been out of work — from actors and musicians to stagehands and ushers and more. Businesses in Times Square that depend on theater patrons have seen considerable dents in their finances, too.

Several shows that had recently opened announced that they have closed permanently. The Inheritance, Hangmen, and the revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf starring Laurie Metcalf and Rupert Everett were among those cutting their futures short.

Tickets for next winter and spring performances are expected to go on sale in the coming weeks, the Broadway League said.

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