Many Broadway Theaters To Drop Vaccine Mandate In May.- Page 2

[Alexander Lamar]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 1:56pm

bwayplays said: "What I want to know is for those who are ONLY going to theatre with mandates in place (both vaccine and masks), what do you do once one or both are lifted. Vaccine checks are gone in May, but masks remain for now. And as always can continue wearing masks even after the mandate is lifted. But does the lifting of mandates change your theatre going?"

Yes. Looks like I only have two weeks left to get some shows in. 

[bwayplays]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 1:59pm

Do we think Broadway is waiting for the CDC to lift the travel mask mandate before making an announcement? That way, Broadway can say “well the CDC says it’s safe then I guess it’s safe for us to”.

3/10- CDC updates mask guidelines through 4/18.

4/1- The Broadway League updates guidelines through 4/30, announced evaluation on 4/15.

4/13- CDC announces masks required through at least 5/3.

4/15- The Broadway League ends vaccination requirement on 4/30. Extends masks through at least 5/31 and will announce new guidance in May.

It just seems like the Broadway League is waiting for permission.

Updated On: 4/15/22 at 01:59 PM

[Hairspray0901]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 2:07pm

This is actually very unsettling for me, seeing as how close everyone is seated in a theatre, not to mention when entering and especially exiting. I went to Funny Girl the other day and so many people weren’t wearing their mask properly and none of the ushers were reprimanding them despite seeing them - add in unvaccinated and I feel like it’s a recipe for disaster.

Also, in my personal opinion, most people who are choosing to be unvaccinated are the same people who choose to not wear their masks properly, and are the ones who don’t care about the safety or well being of others. 

I did notice Jujamcyn didn’t seem to have a Covid safety team versus Shubert (music man) who seem to have hired people specifically for this (ie not ushers or concessions but specific people to tell people to keep masks on who had “Covid safety” on their name tag). 
 

I didn’t purchase any tickets past April 30 aside from Company but I may return them honestly. 

Updated On: 4/15/22 at 02:07 PM

[Fosse76]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 2:17pm

pagereynolds said: "This is actually exactly what many of us wanted. Happy to have everyone wearing a mask through the end of the season. If you. don't want to go, don't go."

Why? Any health benefits of wearing a mask is negated by the unmasked cast/musicians. Also, masks don't work well against the omicron variant. 

[pagereynolds]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 2:19pm

Fosse76 said: "pagereynolds said: "This is actually exactly what many of us wanted. Happy to have everyone wearing a mask through the end of the season. If you. don't want to go, don't go."

Why? Any health benefits of wearing a mask is negated by the unmasked cast/musicians. Also, masks don't work well against the omicron variant."

If your last sentence were remotely true (it isn't) we would have a much worse outbreak than we have right now. The health benefits of the entire audience being masked aren't negated by musicians and a cast that are very far away from most seated theatergoers.

[Rakesh Natarajan]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 2:21pm

Does anyone know what's happening with the return policies for tickets? Jujamcyn's website still says that tickets for any performance before 4/30 can be returned and doesn't say if the policies have been extended to the end of May. Any thoughts on if the refund/exchange policies will be extended? 

[teatime2]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 2:22pm

I was at Wicked last night. Singlehandedly the WORST audience behavior I've ever witnessed in a theater. People having full conversations, kids running up and down the aisles, and worst of all - I counted over 50 people with their masks down under their chin, and some not even having one on at ALL. I was shocked that there was no one enforcing masks staying on. At intermission, I asked an usher about this and he said that they have one guy who walks through before the show and that's it. When I said how bad it was he said "Yeah, there are a lot of school groups here tonight."... On a happier note, the show is in great shape. Linsday Pearce was a FIRE Elphaba, and Brittney Johnson was just glorious. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 2:22pm

Fully vaxxed and double boosted here.  As soon as the lights go down, my mask is coming down as I SLOWLY sip my water.  If they want to cause a scene, let 'em.  Enough is enough.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 2:22pm

Hairspray0901 said: "I went to Funny Girl the other day and so many people weren’t wearing their mask properly and none of the ushers were reprimanding them despite seeing them"

The ushers are not required/obligated to enforce any covid policies. They are only required to identify audience members who aren't in compliance. The covid teams are not ushers.

[pagereynolds]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 2:25pm

JSquared2 said: "Fully vaxxed and double boosted here. As soon as the lights go down, my mask is coming down as I SLOWLY sip my water. If they want to cause a scene, let 'em. Enough is enough."

I have made a scene about several people doing this. They have always complied with the usher telling them to put their mask back on, except for one person who was asked to leave. Let's hope you don't end up anywhere near my family.

[bear88]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 2:26pm

Sigh. In the end, theater is entertainment. It’s not my job. If the producers putting on the entertainment don’t care about my safety and peace of mind, I will have to do something else for a while. No show is worth the uncertain possibility of Long COVID.

I understand the commercial reasoning for this decision, and no one needs to agree with me, but it pretty much takes a trip to New York City to see Broadway shows off my list for the foreseeable future. 

I hope my local theaters stick with their current policies.

[JasonC3]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 2:35pm

Rakesh Natarajan said: "Does anyone know what's happening with the return policies for tickets? Jujamcyn's website still says that tickets for any performance before 4/30 can be returned and doesn't say if the policies have been extended to the end of May. Any thoughts on if the refund/exchange policies will be extended?"

I just emailed a request to Telecharge to refund a May performance given this policy change because the person accompanying me no longer wishes to attend without the mandate.  We'll see what happened.

[bwayplays]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 2:48pm

Speaking of Telecharge, they updated the website with the new guidelines. I only checked Phantom and Come From Away but those two had the new mask only after May 01. Still only had refunds through April 30th so I’m also curious if they’ll refund after the 30th. 

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 2:50pm

Wick3 said: 

I don't know how much they pay the covid safety folks but I'd presume it would be $15-$20/hr (remember NYC minimum wage is $15/hr.) For 2 hours of checking vaccination cards, that would be $30-$40 per person per performance. If there are 4 of them each shift, that's still under $200 per performance. For shows that gross over $1 million each week, that $200 expense to check vaccine cards is almost nothing.

Unless... do they pay the covid safety folks a lot more money to the point where it really would drive up running cost significantly?"

You have this more or less correct in theory as the costs shouldn't be so prohibitive (unless the show is already bleeding mone). However, from what I can tell though none of the Broadway houses are directly employing their vaccination checkers and they're all coming from staffing agencies. That brings along with it a ton of overhead and management fees. I'm also not sure if the call for the vaccination checkers is just two hours. I haven't physically left a show at intermission though to notice if they remain to recheck vaccination status following intermission. (Although some houses have been using hand stamps to eliminate that need.)

Speaking from my own experience- where I work we had an agency providing staffing when we first reopened, but immediately started a gradual transition to directly employing our vaccination checkers outright as the costs with the staffing agency weren't economical. It took a few months to fully execute that transition. Based on the branded garb I've seen in going to Broadway recently, I don't think any of those houses have made the same transition to direct employment. 

Updated On: 4/15/22 at 02:50 PM

[angoradebs]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 2:52pm

On Telecharge now:

COVID-19 UPDATE

STARTING MAY 1, 2022, MOST SHOWS WILL NOT REQUIRE PROOF OF VACCINATION TO ENTER THE THEATRE.

THE FOLLOWING SHOWS WILL REQUIRE PROOF OF VACCINATION AND ID IN MAY 2022:
At the Wedding, Epiphany, How I Learned to Drive, The Minutes, The Skin of Our Teeth

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 3:01pm

I wish they would have dropped the mask mandate simply because how hard ushers have to work to keep it enforced, and they are the ones who have to deal with the most crap/abuse/stress about it. 

Also, as it gets hottter and hotter, less people will follow this rule. 

Updated On: 4/15/22 at 03:01 PM

[pagereynolds]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 3:03pm

Sutton Ross said: "I wish they would have dropped the mask mandate simply because how hard ushers have to work to keep it enforced, and they are the ones who have to deal with the most crap/abuse/stress about it.

Also, as it gets hottter and hotter, less people will follow this rule."

Have you ever lived in New York in the summer or been in a Broadway theatre? They are freezing all summer.

 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 3:10pm

If ushers aren’t obligated or required to make sure audiences are following mandates, then why aren’t the Covid teams making sure the audiences are following them? Also, I find that quite bs. Sure, it adds work to the ushers load and it probably has something to do with the union, but for crying out loud they should be keeping the audience accountable in any way possible. 

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 3:10pm

angoradebs said: "On Telecharge now:

COVID-19 UPDATE

STARTING MAY 1, 2022, MOST SHOWS WILL NOT REQUIRE PROOF OF VACCINATION TO ENTER THE THEATRE.

THE FOLLOWING SHOWS WILL REQUIRE PROOF OF VACCINATION AND ID IN MAY 2022:
At the Wedding, Epiphany, How I Learned to Drive, The Minutes, The Skin of Our Teeth"

At the Wedding ends on April 24 so that's kind of moot. Seems like basically just LCT and MTC.

I don't have a problem wearing a mask during shows but it would be really nice if the theatres weren't sweat lodges that make it unbearable to sit there.

[JasonC3]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 3:11pm

Just got this mass email from Telecharge for my performance:

Vaccination, testing, and ID requirements are going away at the end of April 2022. To ensure the safety of everyone in the theatre, the following policies will be in place for your performance:

Chicago
5/8/2022 7:00:00 PM

MASKS REQUIRED
Everyone in the theatre must wear acceptable face coverings at all times, including during the show, except while eating or drinking in designated locations. All face coverings must cover the nose and mouth and comply with the CDC guidelines for acceptable face coverings.

Guests who do not comply with the policies will be denied entry or asked to leave the theatre. If you feel you cannot follow these guidelines, visit your ORDER STATUS page by April 22, 2022 to exchange or get a refund.

Updated On: 4/15/22 at 03:11 PM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 3:18pm

I wish they were just simply denied entry, then there would be no issues with it during the performance.

I don't have a problem wearing a mask during shows but it would be really nice if the theatres weren't sweat lodges that make it unbearable to sit there.

100%

[JSquared2]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 3:43pm

pagereynolds said: "JSquared2 said: "Fully vaxxed and double boosted here. As soon as the lights go down, my mask is coming down as I SLOWLY sip my water. If they want to cause a scene, let 'em. Enough is enough."

I have made a scene about several people doing this. They have always complied with the usher telling them to put their mask back on, except for one person who was asked to leave. Let's hope you don't end up anywhere near my family."

 

LOL -- the feeling's mutual.

 

[NOWaWarning]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 4:11pm

JSquared2 said: "Fully vaxxed and double boosted here. As soon as the lights go down, my mask is coming down as I SLOWLY sip my water. If they want to cause a scene, let 'em. Enough is enough."

I just don’t understand this way of thinking. Maybe you can explain it to me, if you’re so inclined. Even if you think the mask policy is outdated or pointless, it’s still the house rule. And it’s not like they got you there and then surprised you with this rule. It was made clear what the expectations were before you even bought a ticket. So why go with the intention of not following the rules? Are you also on your phone, taking pictures, singing along, etc? I’m guessing no because those actions are also rude and against the rules. Why is this rule so much harder for you to comply with? No one’s making you attend if you’re not comfortable wearing a mask for a couple of hours.

[pagereynolds]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 4:12pm

NOWaWarning said: "JSquared2 said: "Fully vaxxed and double boosted here. As soon as the lights go down, my mask is coming down as I SLOWLY sip my water. If they want to cause a scene, let 'em. Enough is enough."

I just don’t understand this way of thinking. Maybe you can explain it to me, if you’re so inclined. Even if you think the mask policy is outdated or pointless, it’s still the house rule. And it’s not like they got you there and then surprised you with this rule. It was made clear what the expectations were before you even bought a ticket. So why go with the intention of not following the rules? Are you also on your phone, taking pictures, singing along, etc? I’m guessing no because those actions are also rude and against the rules. Why is this rule so much harder for you to comply with? No one’s making you attend if you’re not comfortable wearing a mask for a couple of hours."

Some people feel they are better than others.

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 4/15/22 at 4:20pm

JSquared2 said: "Fully vaxxed and double boosted here. As soon as the lights go down, my mask is coming down as I SLOWLY sip my water. If they want to cause a scene, let 'em. Enough is enough."

When you purchased a ticket to a Broadway show, you agreed to play by their rules. Rules which were clearly stated at the time of purchase. If you felt that you could not play by those rules, then don't by a ticket. It's simple. People like you are the ones who have made my life miserable since theaters reopened. People like you are the reason for burnout in this industry right now.

I hope I never sit anywhere near you at a show. You can bet I'll make a scene for you.