Long Wharf Theater in New Haven has commissioned Mildred Ruiz-Sapp and Steven Sapp of the company Universes to create a musical, titled Maria, that will see the heroine return to the island after her boyfriend Tony's murder. - Forbes
"Yes, some shows are closing. we have absolutely no plans to shut down. We are paying serious attention to the protocols. The other 20 to 30 shows continue to perform because we're following the protocols that we set up, and it shows they're working." - The Hollywood Reporter
No one could pretend that we’re back to normal yet. There likely is no going back — and after a year of overdue cultural reckonings, that may be for the best. - Los Angeles Times
Maybe not, but the performers are eager not to replicate last year's cancellations and lack of revenue. And yet ... a thousand screaming children in the audience? Well, technology helps. - BBC
"We have to trust that most people no longer venture out while sick, that they are not manufacturing fake proof of vaccination, that they are careful and considerate with their health in the course of their daily lives." It's a tall ask. - Los Angeles Times
The COVID-caused cancellation comes at an terrible time for the performers and staff. Many other shows are canceling for the weekend or week as well. In November, the NYT published an article about the workers' worries about Radio City's COVID-19 protocol. - The New York Times
"The show sold a bit below their historical average—which the company anticipated, not least because of the rising concern around yet another COVID variant—but streaming tickets wound up accounting for 28 percent of their box office revenue and 33 percent of the overall number of tickets sold. - American Theatre
After five years, Paige Price will depart at the end of this season, having led the company through a difficult period that included a financial crisis and temporary shutdown even before the COVID crisis. - American Theatre
"The coronavirus pandemic has upended the theater industry's longstanding 'show must go on' philosophy, supplanting it with a safety-first strategy. The result: a raft of cancellations unlike any in history." - The New York Times
COVID arrived at a bad time for Sarasota's Westcoast Black Theater Troupe: it had just opened a new venue in February 2020. Luckily, "one of the only major Black companies in a smaller American city … seems to be in a good place these days." - The New York Times
Not-for-profit theatres contributed nearly $2.1 billion to the U.S. economy and attracted 23 million attendees, according to Theatre Facts 2020. SMU Data Arts
The Company Members (current and former artists who are the legal owners of the troupe) say they never intended Circus Oz to close. The Board says the Members knew that, if they rejected proposed governance changes (which they did), government funding would be cut entirely. - The Guardian
The absolute worst time to win, perhaps, but Michael R. Jackson's Strange Loop somehow persisted through every theatre in the world being dark and every potential audience member on lockdown. - NPR
Even as the new movie is playing in theatres, "everything about how West Side Story has unfolded suggests opera might be an ideal form to move the needle." - Los Angeles Times
