Broadway Extends Mask Mandates Through May As More Shows Cancel Due To Covid

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Broadway theaters are extending mask mandates for theatergoers through at least May 31, the Broadway League said Friday, which comes as more shows have had to cancel performances after members of the cast or production tested positive for Covid-19.

People walk past the Walter Kerr Theatre in Times Square, New York City, on November 25, 2020.

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Key Facts

Charlotte St. Martin, president of the trade association Broadway League, said in a statement the extension is intended to ensure “safety for all,” and that it will announce protocols for June next month.

Martin said “many” of the 41 Broadway theaters will not ask theatergoers for proof of vaccination after April 30 but urged “everyone to get vaccinated.”

The Shubert Organization, which operates more than 15 theaters in New York City, said Friday that it planned to stop asking ticket holders for their vaccination status starting May 1; the musical Aladdin announced the same.

Big Number

92%. That’s how much the highly transmissible omicron BA.2 subvariant accounts for Covid cases in New York State, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The BA.2 subvariant is more widespread in New York than it is throughout the country, where it makes up nearly 86% of Covid cases.

Key Background

This week, at least three shows canceled performances, including the musical Paradise Square and a revival of Plaza Suite, after members of the cast or production tested positive for Covid-19.

Surprising Fact

Sam Gold, the director of a revival of Macbeth, performed the role of a Scottish thane on Thursday after the actor who played that role tested positive for Covid, the New York Times reported. The show earlier had to cancel performances following Covid cases within the cast including actor Daniel Craig, and reopened Tuesday.

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