The COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the New York theater world as well as all aspects of American and world society. On March 12, all Broadway theaters were ordered closed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to prevent the
spread of the coronavirus. Smaller Off-Broadway theaters soon followed as well as cabarets, nightclubs, cinemas, and all other performance venues. The original re-opening date announced by the Broadway League was April 13, but that appears to be obsolete. While the League has made no official announcement about a new date, larger forces keep pushing it unofficially later. First the Center for Disease Control recommended no large gatherings of any kind for eight weeks. At first President Trump wished aloud that the country would re-open by Easter Sunday, painting a rosy, if implausible picture of packed, disease-free churches. Only a few days later, he backtracked and extended national guidelines for Americans to stay at home until April 30. The stage blackout could continue well beyond that. New York state has become the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States with over 102,000 confirmed cases and over 2,900 deaths as of Fri., April 3. New York City alone has reported over 57,000 cases, and the numbers are growing rapidly. Governor Cuomo has stated the apex of the curve of cases will likely arrive in about two weeks (the middle of April).
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| Sharon D. Clarke in Caroline or Change which has been postponed to the fall Credit: Helen Maybanks |
