A big question many people have been asking lately is: when will life open back up and go back to normal? The answer will always be questionable until the day that COVID restrictions are completely over, but as time progresses, governors are becoming more lenient with what can be reopened. Now, the arts can be a different story. While places like the movies can be opened and socially distanced with a mask, putting together a Broadway musical may be a tougher deal.
Broadway shows can usually take up to 10-12 hours a day rehearsing, for typically around a month or two. It is estimated that it takes around 800 people to work on a Broadway show. Some people say that the arts should be reopened just as everything else is. But others say it seems too high risk; the amount of time and people put into these productions is just too big, and it would be wrong to open back up while people are still dying.
Some people think that with the mandates still in place there will be less of a risk, which may be true, but it’s still too early on to tell. Though with these concerns, New York City has decided to open up Broadway this summer, but live shows won’t be happening until September 14th due to rehearsals and new safety protocols. Chicago, Hamilton, Wicked, and Dear Evan Hansen are just a few of the many shows welcoming live audiences beginning on that date.
Here on the west coast, theater enthusiasts will also be able to catch a live show through the touring companies of the shows on Broadway. According to broadwaysf.com, San Francisco tickets will soon be available for Hamilton, playing August 10-September 5th, The Prom, playing June 21st-July 17th, and Oklahoma!, playing August 16th-September 11th. Tickets for shows in the 2021-2022 season are also already available for purchase.
Cover photo by Sophie Yurkovich.
About the writer:
Leah Thomas is a staff writer for The Lion's Roar.
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