Cuomo Announces NY PopsUp; Discusses Broadway's Reopening

During today's Covid-19 press briefing, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a new initiative called NY PopsUp, a series of pop-up performances to be held throughout the spring and summer in an effort to accelerate the restoration and revitalization of New York's arts and culture scene.

The initiative calls for 300+ pop-up performances over the course of 100 days all across the state. Their dates/times and locations will not be announced in advance in an effort to discourage crowds from gathering, but they will be shared online for all to see. Performers scheduled to participate include Hugh Jackman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Gavin Creel, Billy Porter, Mandy Patinkin, and Renee Fleming.

Opening Day of NY PopsUp is February 20, with members of the artists council leading a performance at the Javits Center as a special tribute to healthcare workers. It will culminate this summer with the 20th anniversary of the Tribeca Film Festival and the opening of Little Island at Pier 55.

Cuomo also stated that the model that NY PopsUp builds for holding safe live events will pave the way for the reopening of flexible venues to participate in the festival, including The Shed, The Apollo Theater, Harlem Stage, and La MaMa. He's hoping to begin reopening these venues "with testing, on a limited basis."

When later asked how the reopening of Broadway may fit into this plan, Cuomo said that "the overall effort is headed toward reopening with testing," referencing a recently held socially-distant Buffalo Bills game in which 7,000 fans were permitted into the stadium after testing negative prior to entry, and which showed no evidence in contact tracing of any increased spread of the virus. "You can open up Broadway [...] with a set percentage of occupants, where people have tested prior to walking into that Broadway theater," he said. "Would I go see a play and sit in a playhouse with 150 people? If the 150 people were tested and they were all negative, yes, I would do that. And the social distancing and the air ventilation was proper, yes, I would do that. [...] I think reopening with testing is going to be the key."

Watch Cuomo's full press briefing here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBpfxY_6dfQ&ab_channel=CNBCTelevision

Announcement and details of NY PopsUp begins around the 22:00 mark, and his discussion of Broadway's reopening begins at around 30:30.

And before anyone jumps down my throat, I know that Cuomo's comments re: reopening are only a small part of a much larger picture, and that much of what he says has already been debunked by other sources (The Broadway League, for example, has made it pretty clear that it would be entirely infeasible for any Broadway theatre to open if its maximum capacity is 150.) I don't take is words as an indication that Broadway is going to open this summer, or even this fall. I just thought this was worth a share, for those who may be interested.

I hope these artists are being paid for their performances.

I also hope they reach out to the artists who really suffered during this pandemic.

Thought this tweet reply to Cuomo's tweet was funny but true.

https://twitter.com/ThisLaneOnly/status/1358855236249677826?s=20

Wick3 said: "I hope these artists are being paid for their performances.

I also hope they reach out to the artists who really suffered during this pandemic.

Thought this tweet reply to Cuomo's tweetwas funny but true.

https://twitter.com/ThisLaneOnly/status/1358855236249677826?s=20"

It's my understanding that this program isn't intended as a program to get artists back to work, but rather a marketing tool to build awareness that theater is on the path to coming back. Not saying they shouldn't find a way to employ as many theater artists as possible right now, but that wasn't the goal of this program. This is a PR activity, not an employment one.

Wonder what the new ticket costs will be when social distancing comes to Broadway

Will Broadway lose audiences with such a long layoff ? Tourism will be down for a long time. Will ticket prices have to increase to make up for the loss? .Reduction in restaurants will play a part as will uptick in crime in the street and in the subways.Many no longer work in the city. Will they make a special trip into the city? . Many factors come into play before Broadway comes back to a semblance of what it was if ever.

Wish all who attend the best and glad if you can get it to work for you

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You heard it here first. Social distancing in some form will be a part of Broadway as will masks and testing.These may be relaxed but not removed. Almost a year after it started we still see ads to wash hands and social distance morning noon and night. I mute when I see them on tv. If you need to be told a year later what to do you will never follow these rules.For the record I do all 3_as does my wife .

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The current way Broadway shows are produced, until all tourism and free movement, by enlarge cannot come back but another financial model or way could.

it is a very accurate that we won’t see high tourism and huge freedoms or willingness of worldwide travel for another year or even two, but that doesn’t mean Broadway or theatre can’t return. The model will just have to change and adapt.


Perhaps $20m capital shows based on 90% occupancy and 200 dollar ticket prices isn’t viable... but shows can be produced still on less budget, return less perhaps, but if the capital initially isn’t as much..? Broadway will adapt to its commerce surroundings.

Updated On: 2/9/21 at 06:59 PM

I think all of those thoughts are very possible. My only “but maaaaaaybe...” about it is that I heard someone from the CDC this morning say with the J&J vaccines probably getting fast tracked in the next couple weeks and with the amount of vaccine they have ready to go (and this is the one dose), that they’re now thinking by June we might be able to get back to a level of normalcy they thought might not be until later in the summer.

So here’s the thing. Either way, there’s finally hope on the horizon and we WILL have theatre again this year. It’s also possible these pop-up productions will be used as an aid to help usher people back to indoor venues, once they’ve opened and help them feel safe, continuing on even after an official re-opening. Again, just random thoughts but i look at it like this - let’s still say by September we have a handful of broadway shows open. That means casting/rehearsal/etc. will start sometime in May. And May is only 11 weeks away. Just a little something that helps me remember this is coming soon...

Jordan Catalano said: "I think all of those thoughts are very possible. My only “but maaaaaaybe...” about it is that I heard someone from the CDC this morning say with the J&J vaccines probably getting fast tracked in the next couple weeks and with the amount of vaccine they have ready to go (and this is the one dose), that they’re now thinking by June we might be able to get back to a level of normalcy they thought might not be until later in the summer.

So here’s the thing. Either way, there’s finally hope on the horizon and we WILL have theatre again this year. It’s also possible these pop-up productions will be used as an aid to help usher people back to indoor venues, once they’ve opened and help them feel safe, continuing on even after an official re-opening. Again, just random thoughts but i look at it like this - let’s still say by September we have a handful of broadway shows open. That means casting/rehearsal/etc. will start sometime in May. And May is only 11 weeks away. Just a little something that helps me remember this is coming soon..."



"It’s also possible these pop-up productions will be used as an aid to help usher people back to indoor venues, once they’ve opened and help them feel safe, continuing on even after an official re-opening."



That seems to be the main intent - to arouse curiosity among tri-staters, domestic and overseas tourists to visit NYC, including seeing Broadway shows, when they visit the city after things become close to becoming normal. I was just looking at an image of Little Island, one of the culminating events in the festival and it seems they will have an open-air 700 seater ampitheatre (per a much earlier NYTimes report). Maybe that can feature something more theatrical rather than just a pop concert? Except the stage is right in the middle of the ampitheatre.

Updated On: 2/8/21 at 10:45 PM

I don’t think optimistic is a word ever used to describe me lol. But it’s strange since I follow the west end so closely and have so many tickets for things that have been pushed again and again and again for almost a year now and I still do have a very strong feeling I’ll be seeing shows there before I will here, and I think New York will learn a lot from however they'll be doing things across the pond.

And I do agree with you that around the anniversary of the shut down that they’ll have some sort of announcement or tentative plans for how to move forward for everyone.

Jordan Catalano said: "I don’t think optimistic is a word ever used to describe me lol. But it’s strange since I follow the west end so closely and have so many tickets for things that have been pushed again and again and again for almost a year now and I still do have a very strong feeling I’ll be seeing shows there before I will here, and I think New York will learn a lot from however they'll be doing things across the pond."

Oh I think optimistic is a word that can fairly be used to describe your take. (I suspect at times I used a less charitable word. ) I have no prognostication about London vs New York but I doubt very seriously that London has lessons to teach. To me, London theatre has been the model of reckless anti-science and it would take a major course correction for New York to get in that pathway.

Hogan, I meant more so that NY can/will learn from the mistakes they’ve made over there.

HogansHero said: "Broadway Joe said: "I don't care who is performing at any of these pop up shows, I'd rather stay home then have to get a test just to be able to attend. I'm sure there are plenty of others who would sign up immediately though.

I'll be back at shows whenever we return to actual normalcy so unfortunately I don't expect to attend anything until sometime in 2022."

My approach is firmly rooted in the notion that everyone gets to decide when they are comfortablebut I am curious what's behind your position. If you are vaccinated and positive for antibodies, are you saying that you would nonetheless not attend if you had to take a rapid test? Or is it something else holding you back."

It's a combination of a bunch of things for me. While I do miss going to Broadway shows since we are locals so my gf and I normally try to see everything that opens on Broadway. I'm simply not interested in having to take any sort of test to be able to attend. Also while I'm not even remotely anti-mask, I wear one to the store or doctor, etc with no problem but there's a huge difference to me in having to wear one to somewhere that I must be vs having to wear one for hours and also have to pay money to attend at someplace that I don't need to be at. No matter what happens this year I think masks are sticking around for at least this year. Vaccine wise, I simply don't expect to get it until sometime in 2022 as well for a few health reasons but we also are lucky enough to work from home so don't have to worry as much as most people in that regard.

Shows are generally a nice escape for a few hours and instead of looking around going ah yeah the world is still messed up, I'd simple rather stay home and watch TV instead for now. I'll still be thrilled when shows are back though so actors and staff can get back to work and fans can attend things again since it will show that we are finally on the road to returning to some normalcy, we'll just be sitting it out for awhile.

To Sutton

Have you heard of free speech? Is this Face Book and you are part of their police force? For over 50 years I attended. I quit for many reasons. That does not disqualify me from saying my peace.If you do not like it don't read it.Even if I was still going before the lockdown I would no longer go if it ever comes back.

Have a nice day .

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