Broadway Open in January?? — Page 3

Jordan Catalano said: "You’re lucky that you’re sports the most socially distanced you can get lol."

And some international players are not happy with what the PGA has come up with to keep them safe. They are going to wait a few months before playing. They are afraid that if they should get here and test positive they will be stuck here for longer than they want to be.

But back to theatre!

Jordan Catalano said: "I have hope we’ll get at least an “alternate” football season, similar to what they’re suggesting for baseball.

I’m fine with no audience at the games but come Fall, I need my football. I can’t even imagine a full year with no theater AND no football."

I can't imagine they won't work football out. For me, it is baseball that is most important and I hope by this time tomorrow we have a deal. [Go Yankees]

Highland Guy said: "Speaking of sports.....

My husband and I had considered attending the opening ceremonies of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, but then decided to look foward to the 2024 Paris Games instead Now the Tokyo Games have been rescheduled for the summer of 2021, but that apparently is still "iffy". What a challenge it must be for officialsand athletes (and those who made plans to attend the Games) to put everything on hold at least for one year, and perhaps indefinitely."

If you want to travel anywhere, are you willing to be vaccinated and then put on a list? This is a serious question.

hearthemsing22 said: "Jordan Catalano said: "The “stage door” thing is just a silly thing to focus on considering that when Broadway does reopen, odds are a vaccine will have been introduced so it would technically be a safe thing to resume doing, for those who are comfortable doing so. It’s only a real issue if theaters reopen before that time."

You're absolutely right. I only mentioned it because the OP mentioned that actors would want to meet fans....I'm sure they would. But not until it is safe to do so."

Why would actors want to meet fans? Seriously.

HogansHero said: "BizBuzz said: "This isn’t delusional.

It may not happen but it’s not delusional. A target date has to be in place for the industry to work towards and start making plans to move a few pieces. Will it be the full bells and whistles return, probably not. Could it be, yes."

Sorry, but it IS delusional. There is no scenario in which it would be viable, and more to the point, no producer in their right mind would pull the trigger on Labor Day for a January startdate. If you took a vote of League members tomorrow morning, I would expect zero of them to concur with Ms. St. Martin. Perhaps March, on a very limited basis such as I have described (the Plaza Suite scenario) but even that is a stretch. Definitely no show that needs tourists."

I don’t think she was saying that things will open but more a roadmap will need to be devised so things prior start to get discussed and logistics worked or even thought about to roll out. We will need target dates and aims to begin figuring out the other side of this, in all departments and areas of the league. That ain’t delusional, it’s strategy. I’m sure nobody is saying come Jan 2021 ,if that ends up in some plan, that we will switch the lights on and on we go... it’s clear even by miracle that Spring is the only commercial goal for Broadway as a whole to be back collectively.

BizBuzz said: "I don’t think she was saying that things will open but more a roadmap will need to be devised so things prior start to get discussed and logistics worked or even thought about to roll out. We will need target dates and aims to begin figuring out the other side of this, in all departments and areas of the league.That ain’t delusional, it’s strategy. I’m sure nobody is saying come Jan 2021 ,if that ends up in some plan, that we will switch the lights on and on we go... it’s clear even by miracle thatSpring is the only commercial goal for Broadway as a whole to be back collectively."

That is not what she said, and she is not the one who plans or strategizes; she is a marketing person who runs a trade association. Producers plan, each on their own. The league has no involvement in when it is POSSIBLE to reopen Broadway; that's Cuomo's call. The league has no involvement in assessing whether enough tickets can be sold to make a production viable; that's each producer's call. She is just running off the mouth. And it was injudicious.

Fauci said this morning that we are on track for a vaccine in November or December. If that actually happens (and I know lots of things need to still go right for that to be the case), a January re-opening for Broadway doesn't seem impossible

I think the idea with vaccinations, though, is that we can't have a huge theatre filled with people until it's widely available. That doesn't mean small working groups and rehearsals can't start beforehand and that sets can't be built, theatres can't be cleaned, etc. So there will definitely need to be rehearsals once we get the "all clear" but it's not necessarily going to be a full 6-8 week process. More realistically, shows will probably need 2-3 weeks to get back on their feet once that all clear moment happens, at least for the shows that were already open.

Broadway61004 said: "I think the idea with vaccinations, though, is that we can't have a huge theatre filled with people until it's widely available. That doesn't mean small working groups and rehearsals can't start beforehand and that sets can't be built, theatres can't be cleaned, etc. So there will definitely need to be rehearsals once we get the "all clear" but it's not necessarily going to be a full 6-8 week process. More realistically, shows will probably need 2-3 weeks to get back on their feet once that all clear moment happens, at least for the shows that were already open."

How much rehearsal a show needs and how much rehearsal a show will be required to have by the unions are likely two different things.

A few reactions:

1. Even if we had an efficient administration, it would be March or later before there was wide dissemination of the vaccine. We are not Switzerland.

2. That Tory's ramblings about South Korea are meaningless here: we have an overabundance of epidemiological idiots (hereinafter "epidem-illogicals". We are not South Korea.

3. Broadway will not open with either social distancing or masks. Some will come but not a critical mass.

4. Anti-vaxxers will not be a concern for vaccinated theatre-goers. That's the whole point of the vaccine.

I still think that Broadway will not look familiar to us until the fall of next year.