A New York theater said it canceled performances of the hit show 'Waitress' because of labor shortages

• A theater in Elmira, New York, said it canceled its two showings of "Waitress" because of "labor shortages."

• The theater said Tuesday that there were "concerns with putting on the production safely."

• Record numbers of workers have quit their jobs during the pandemic and some employers are struggling.

A theater in Elmira, New York, has blamed a staff shortage for canceling both its performances of the hit show "Waitress" at the last minute.

The Clemens Center called off performances of Waitress scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday "due to labor shortages this morning, and concerns with putting on the production safely," per an announcement posted on the theater's website Monday, and first reported by WENY News.

Executive Director Karen Cromer told Insider that the center had a staff of 15 to run the venue, only two of which were dedicated to stage. She said that Broadway tour productions don't travel with all the personnel it takes to load in and out and run their shows, and that the local branch of the The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees provides stagehand labor on these occasions.

Cromer said that around 50 crew were needed but that the branch could only supply around two-thirds of these. This may have been because of problems hiring and retaining staff – especially for a two-day gig – and COVID-19.

"The tour did not feel comfortable that they were safe mounting the show with such low numbers, so we made the very difficult decision to reschedule," Cromer said. "The alternative would have been to delay the curtain by an hour or more, or cut back on scenery and scenes — which would be unfair to our patrons who had paid for a full performance."

Less that a day before the cancellations were announced, the Clemens Center had been encouraging people to buy tickets for Waitress on its social media accounts, suggesting that the staff shortage was unexpected.

The theater posted news of the cancellation on its Facebook and Twitter accounts at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, just eight hours before the first performance was due to start that evening.

Record numbers of workers have been quitting their jobs during the pandemic, affecting industries ranging from education and healthcare to retail and restaurants.

Exeunt magazine recently reported that the UK theater industry is in the grips of a labor shortage, with productions struggling to find staff ranging from lighting technicians to theater carpenters. The site reported that some workers were leaving the industry or turning down shows because of low wages, unsocial hours, and COVID-19 concerns, among other things.

"People are cutting corners and scrambling to do what they can without enough workers on the ground," one senior backstage professional told Exeunt. "If this situation continues, we'll come to the point where there are show stoppages, where there are accidents."

Theater production designers and technicians on Reddit similarly say that both theaters and tours are understaffed.

People who bought tickets for the Clemens Center performances of Waitress can use them on rescheduled dates to be announced "as soon as possible," the theater said.

Tickets for the showing, set to appear as part of the theater's Broadway series, were on sale for between $37 and $67.

Got a story about the labor shortage? Email this reporter at gdean@insider.com.

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