The New York Times: Broadway and several other major cultural institutions in New York said Thursday that they would close temporarily in an effort to curtail the spread of the coronavirus.
The announcement came as Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered restrictions on public gatherings of more than 500 people. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall and the New York Philharmonic all said they would shutter in an effort to help prevent exposure.
7 comments:
I have not been alive that long, but this is certainly the craziest thing I have seen happen to Broadway in all of my 18 years of existence. I read somewhere that this is the first time something like this has happened since the tragedy of 9/11. Broadway went dark for only two days and reopened on 9/13. It has already been two days since this current close and I do not see it reopening anytime soon. I actually had tickets to go see a show with my sister. Scott Rudin offered $50 tickets to all of the shows he is currently producing on Broadway for the whole month of March. I knew something like this was going to happen, but we bought them anyway knowing full well that we would probably need to get refunded. We did in fact get a refund, but my heart breaks for the actors and technicians who might not be receiving a paycheck right now. Hopefully we get a handle on this virus and they can start creating their art again.
This breaks my heart so much. I totally understand why they have to cancel, but it really makes me sad. It is really unfortunate that in a time when so much of the world is different than normal and everything is changing, that the arts industry has to be affected so much. There are so many people in the arts who work so hard every day to bring the arts to everyone and now all of those efforts are canceled and they are left without a job. Looking at how long this list is of everything in New York City that is canceled because of this virus is crazy. It saddens me so much to see that some of my favorite places to go are now closed and no one can experience that. Everything happening right now is just so unprecedented, these are things that are closing that I have never seen close in my life and my parents have never seen close in their lifetime. I can’t wait to see how everyone comes back from this and I hope the best to this great industry.
The fact that every article available to comment on from this week is about cover-19 is very telling. Corona is taking over! Reading about everything closing over these past few days has been very concerning, but it makes sense that everyone is trying to stop the spread of the virus. It really sucks that this is all happening. Reading about people dying, their loved ones being in danger, people who are no longer financially stable, and other devastating stories really put in perspective for me how small our problems are and how fortunate we are. It is terrible that so many actors and technicians are now out of work for a month. Im surprised at just how many things in New York are closing down compared to what is still open in LA where I currently am. I think that this is a very devastating time, and learning remotely should be very interesting!
The fact that every article available to comment on from this week is about cover-19 is very telling. Corona is taking over! Reading about everything closing over these past few days has been very concerning, but it makes sense that everyone is trying to stop the spread of the virus. It really sucks that this is all happening. Reading about people dying, their loved ones being in danger, people who are no longer financially stable, and other devastating stories really put in perspective for me how small our problems are and how fortunate we are. It is terrible that so many actors and technicians are now out of work for a month. Im surprised at just how many things in New York are closing down compared to what is still open in LA where I currently am. I think that this is a very devastating time, and learning remotely should be very interesting!
It’s really starting to feel more and more like the apocalypse as the days go on. As sad as it is to see Broadway shut down for this long, it needed to happen in order to keep more people safe. It restricts them from social interactions and a temptation to go out and risk spreading the disease. However, it is heartbreaking that so much money will be lost due to these lack of performances. No audience means no money and with no money, the expenses are not made back. This is a huge loss for the theatre industry and the people who work in it. The hit this virus will take on the industry’s incomes and way of livelihood is frightening. Hopefully the virus will pass soon and life can go back to normal again, and unfortunately taking these precautions will be the only way to do that. We can only hope for the best.
The last four days have been such a cluster of emotions. Heartbreak, sadness, fear, pity, confusion, and disbelief, to name just a few. In less than a week, it seems as though every institution in the entire country closed their doors. Watching artistic institutions close is what is particularly triggering the aforementioned heartbreak. It is hard to collect myself around this idea of “quarantine.” The thought process went as follows: “I have some extra time for self care! I will stay home for an extra few weeks and visit some museums. Maybe I will take a cheap flight to New York and see a show, or to Florida to visit Disneyworld!” And then I quickly realized that the whole point of a quarantine is to make… EVERYTHING stop. That was hard to grasp. All of these institutions that are meant to entertain are just… Gone. And understanding that we cannot use this universal shutdown to take advantage of cheap access to entertainment, because there is no longer ANY access, is a strange concept. I suppose it will be an opportunity to practice personal artistic endeavours.
It is so upsetting to just sit back and watch as the coronavirus shuts down all of NY state, especially New York City. I love New York and I’m especially proud of how much art and culture we have to offer as a state, not just in NYC, so it’s heartbreaking to me to see all of these wonderful museums and theaters close. I was able to go visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art just days before they closed because of the coronavirus. The worst part about this virus is that art can have such a wonderful healing power, so the fact that we can not go out and see art that inspires us to cope is so frustrating. And of course I completely understand why these museums and theaters are closing. In fact, I think it is the responsible and safe choice but it’s just so frustrating that we can not use art and theatre as escapism in this very worrisome time.
Post a Comment